2012 NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATS - EVENT RESULTS
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SCHUMACHER ENDS WINLESS DROUGHT, CAPPS, EDWARDS ALSO CLAIM VICTORIES AT BRISTOL 
Seven-time Top Fuel world champ Tony Schumacher ended a 32-race winless streak with his win at the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers Sunday at Bristol Dragway.
His DSR teammate Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) also claimed victories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Schumacher’s U.S. Army dragster ran like a bracket car all during Sunday’s eliminations, with his slowest pass coming in the final round against long-time on track rival, Doug Kalitta. Schumacher did his job on the starting line, as his reaction time was four-hundredths better than Kalitta’s, leading to Schumacher’s slower, but winning E.T., 3.819-second pass at 324.28 mph.
“That’s one of those finals that you dream about,” Schumacher said. “Nobody wants that single in the final, as much as I’ve been joking about it. You want to go out and run Doug, and you want to go out and run your team [car] and win on those very close ones. It makes the whole weekend worth it.”
Schumacher earned his first win in almost two seasons the hard way, taking out Dom Lagana in round one, DSR teammate Spencer Massey in round two and local-favorite Clay Millican in the semifinal round to earn his fifth final round appearance of the season. Schumacher’s win is his 68th career win and fifth at Bristol Dragway and it secures him the sixth spot in the Traxxas Shootout, the Top Fuel bonus race at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
“I’ll tell you what it was a long time, a long, long time,” Schumacher said. “You get used to winning those races — you know, 15 races in a year — you know we’re just not used to that. We had a great car, and more often than not, we got beat by some incredibly talented teams in very close races, so it was tough for us to deal with but at the same time, it is what we do. We had the point lead two times early in the season without winning a race. We keep our chin up, we don’t fire people, we motivate and get through the adversity. We lead. That’s what we do, we lead them. We make them believe in themselves. I said it all along, ‘Have faith. We’re going to go out and win these things.’ I didn’t want to be the second guy to win a championship without winning a race. That’s not cool. It so much more fun to win and dominate. For a long time, we had a car that was a tenth of a second quicker than everybody, and it’s not out there anymore. It’s hard on any given day to have a car that outruns everyone four runs in a row. You’ve got to go out there and do your job. I’m just very thankful that Mike [Green, crew chief] and Neal [Strausbaugh, assistant crew chief] and all nine guys did a phenomenal job.”
In Funny Car, Capps earned his second win of the season in his sixth final round appearance in a row since adding veteran turner Rahn Tobler to the team by outrunning rookie driver Alexis DeJoria in the first final round appearance of her career. Capps’ 4.076 at 312.35 mph in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger was just too much for
DeJoria, whose Tequila Patron Toyota Camry lost traction at half-track.
“There was a lot of pressure coming in because of the media and fans kept asking for six finals and, ‘Are you going to get in a sixth final?’ Every race that we’ve gone to, it’s just getting stronger and stronger, the bond that I have with Rahn Tobler and this team,” Capps said. “Don Schumacher does everything to give us everything that we need, and it’s impressive that Rahn Tobler is able to do what he does with a car. He’s such a perfectionist.”
Capps had to beat two women during Sunday’s eliminations, as he beat both top rookie contenders DeJoria and Courtney Force. Capps also took out Tony Pedregon and his DSR teammate Johnny Gray en route to his win at Bristol Dragway. With the win, Capps tied “Big Daddy” Don Garlits on the all-time wins list with 35 victories.
Veteran Pro Stock driver and former world champion Mike Edwards claimed his fourth victory in a row at Bristol Dragway with his holeshot win over local favorite Allen Johnson in the final round. Edwards used his better reaction time with his 6.674 second pass at 206.16 mph behind the wheel of his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac to beat Johnson’s Team Mopar Dodge Avenger, which clocked a quicker but losing 6.661 second pass at 207.05 mph in an incredibly close final round.
“I don’t even know how you can describe something like [the final] in words,” Edwards said. “Four zeros for the margin of victory. I just can’t believe it. Sometimes we struggle just a little bit, and then we come to this place [Bristol] and we do well. Sixteen straight round wins is unbelievable. I tell you, I wish we raced them all here. My guys did an awesome job this weekend. We weren’t the fastest car, just the second fastest car, but we got the job done.”
“Hats off to Allen Johnson,” Edwards said. “They did an awesome job too, especially in front of their home crowd. It had to be hard for him to lose a race like that I can’t explain it, but we just run exceptionally good here. I wanted to win this race four in a row so bad that I came here right after Englishtown and tested for two days, and I’ve never done that at a track where we have our next race. I wanted it bad, real bad.”
Edwards raced to his second win of the season by beating Larry Morgan, four-time world champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the most successful female in Pro Stock, Erica Enders, before reaching his second final round of the season.
The next NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event is the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries, June 28-July 1 at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.
SATURDAY - BROWN, TASCA AND JOHNSON QUALIFY NO. 1 AT THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
Friday’s qualifying leaders, Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca (Funny Car) and Tennessee native Allen Johnson (Pro Stock), secured the No. 1 qualifying spots Saturday at the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers at Bristol Dragway.
Brown set both ends of the Top Fuel track record in his Aaron’s dragster with a 3.814 second pass at 323.12 mph during his second qualifying attempt Friday night under the lights at Bristol Dragway. Brown posted one of the quickest runs of the day – a 3.843 second pass in Saturday’s hot conditions -- but no one was able to beat his Friday night run and he remained No. 1 for the second of the season and 31st of his career.
“That last session, the way the track temp was, that’s what we’re going to see a lot of tomorrow, so we felt real good to run well,” Brown said. “We were trying to run like an.86 first lap today. That didn’t work out, but we got it back together and got that Aaron’s Lucky Dog car down there. I was very, very pleased with the run. It gives you a lot of confidence for tomorrow. The car responded well. It lifted the front end up, hiked it up. It feels good when you go into tomorrow, race day, with the same conditions that you had in that last session, and it was a great run”
Brown will match up against Pat Dakin and his Mark Industries dragster, the No. 16 qualifier, in the opening round of eliminations Sunday.
The surprise of the day was when Morgan Lucas’ GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster failed to make the 16-car field during Saturday’s hot conditions. Lucas has been one of the hottest drivers this season thanks to two wins and four No. 1 qualifying positions, which has placed him fourth in the championship point standings. Lucas’ Morgan Lucas Racing teammate Brandon Bernstein, who has two wins at the track and who was the runner-up at the most recent Full Throttle event in Englishtown, also failed to qualify for Sunday’s eliminations.
“A lot of people don’t understand how tough this class is, how tough Top Fuel is right now,” Brown said. “This class is as tough as the class has ever been. You have to hit it right in the right spot to make these cars perform on this racetrack.”
Tasca’s Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Ford Mustang Friday night run of 4.063 seconds at 310.48 mph earned the provisional No. 1 spot heading into Saturday and no one was able to better Tasca’s effort during Saturday’s hot conditions. This is Tasca’s second consecutive No. 1 at Bristol, and third of his career.
“I’m an all-Ford kid, driving an all-Ford hot rod, qualified No. 1 at the all-Ford race, so that’s a cool deal, and hopefully we can win this thing for Ford,” Tasca said. “First round is going to be real good, then it’s going to warm up, and you’re going to have to learn how to pull the car back. We really wanted to go down that last run, but the data we have is good data. We know what we have to do to make it go A to B in the heat.”
Tasca will face rookie Blake Alexander and his Gates Chevy Monte Carlo in the opening round of eliminations Sunday.
The story was the same in Pro Stock as local favorite Allen Johnson’s track record 6.623 second pass at 207.75 mph from Friday night remained atop the qualifying order at the end of Saturday’s two qualifying sessions. This is Johnson’s third consecutive No. 1 at this event, fourth of the season and 22nd of his career.
“We feel like we’ve won the battle [by qualifying No. 1] and now we’ve got to win the war during Sunday’s eliminations,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a very, very consistent race car now with very good people making very good decisions. Now the driver just has to do his job tomorrow.”
Johnson will race Shane Gray and his brand new NTB Chevy Camaro Sunday morning in the first round of eliminations.
Sunday’s eliminations start at noon ET.
FRIDAY: BROWN, TASCA AND ALLEN JOHNSON LEAD FIRST DAY BRISTOL QUALIFYING
Bob Tasca raced to the Funny Car qualifying lead Friday at the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers at Bristol Dragway.
Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Tennessee native Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) also were qualifying leaders at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Tasca powered his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Ford Mustang to the qualifying lead with his 4.063 second pass at 310.48 mph during Friday’s second qualifying session at Bristol Dragway. If Tasca holds onto the No. 1 qualifying position through Saturday it will be his first No. 1 of the season, second consecutive at Bristol and third of his career.
“I don’t know what it is with Bristol, but I love racing here at Thunder Valley,” Tasca said. “We’ve been looking for that run for the pole here for the last couple of races. Dickie [Venables], Chris [Cunningham], and Marc [Denner] are really working together, getting this car smooth. This thing’s been shaking for the last four or five races, and I couldn’t even see for about 200 feet. When I got back, I said, ‘Fellas, you finally gave me a race car that I can see now, see the groove and keep the car dead in the center.’ I think it will hold. With the sun out the way it’s going to be, I think that .06 is going to be safe for the pole.”
Tasca’s Ford Racing teammate Mike Neff raced his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to the second qualifying position Friday evening with his 4.072 second pass at 310.70 mph and Jack Beckman race his Valvoline NextGen Dodge Charger to the No. 3 position with his 4.077 second pass at 310.12 mph.
Brown set both ends of the Top Fuel track record in his Aaron’s dragster during his second qualifying attempt Friday night under the lights at Bristol Dragway 
with his 3.814 second pass at 323.12 mph. If Brown remains the qualifying leader through Saturday’s qualifying sessions it will be his second of the season and 31st of his career.
“It was definitely a great way to get the weekend started,” Brown said. “When we came in here, we saw everybody in front of us starting to throw down. Terry McMillen threw that run out there. Man, he really opened some people’s eyes up, and then we saw some big hitters not make it down, so I saw Mark [Oswald] and Brian [Corradi, crew chiefs] get a little tentative like, ‘You know what, we want to at least go down because we want to try and be in the top half of the field.’ Tony [Schumacher] and the U.S. Army team, they did the same thing. We both just went down there and made some solid runs and we snuck up there into those Nos. 1 and 2 spots. It feels really good. That was a real good pass for us, and hopefully that will bring us some luck going into Sunday because Lord knows it’s been rough on us the last three races. This would be a great race to break back out again, and it feels good to get that run down. It’s definitely an ego booster, a mind booster, and a team booster.”
Brown’s DSR teammate Tony Schumacher raced his U.S. Army dragster to the No. 2 qualifying spot with his 3.822 second pass at 320.66 mph Friday night. Terry McMillen powered his Amalie Oil/Wolverine Dragster to the third qualifying position with the quickest pass of his career, 3.823 seconds at 315.27 mph.
Local favorite Allen Johnson set a track record in the factory hot rod class when he powered his Mopar Dodge Avenger to the qualifying lead with his 6.623 second pass at 207.75 mph Friday night under the lights at Bristol Dragway. If Johnson holds onto the No. 1 position it will be his third consecutive at the event.
“It’s just such a blessing to be back here in Bristol with the fans and our employees who support us and get to see what we enjoy all year,” Johnson said. “The Mopar Dodge Avenger is absolutely hitting on all eight cylinders right now. I didn’t even know that this could be our third time qualifying No. 1 at Bristol or that we set a new track record either. Everything we do here at home is just an awesome experience.”
Johnson’s Dodge teammate Vincent Nobile sits third heading into Saturday’s qualifying with his 6.667 second pass at 207.02 mph while Mike Edwards is second thanks to his 6.641 second pass at 207.27 mph.
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at noon and 2:30 p.m. Sunday’s eliminations start at 11 a.m.
TOP FUEL
1 3 Antron Brown, Indianapolis IN, DSR-TFX 3.814@ 323.12& 323.12
2 5 Tony Schumacher, Chicago IL, DSR-TFX 3.822 320.66 320.66
3 21 Terry McMillen, Elkhart IN, McKinney-TFX 3.823 315.27 315.27
4 22 Doug Kalitta, Ypsilanti MI, Attac-TFX 3.835 321.81 321.81
5 1236 Hillary Will, Eureka CA, McKinney-TFX 3.837 308.35 308.35
6 475 Steve Torrence, Kilgore TX, Hadman-TFX 3.840 318.02 318.02
7 2 Spencer Massey, Ft. Worth TX, DSR-TFX 3.844 321.58 321.58
8 12 Bob Vandergriff, Alpharetta GA, Hadman-TFX 3.855 315.78 315.78
9 9 Shawn Langdon, Indianapolis IN, Hadman-TFX 3.855 315.12 315.12
10 255 Clay Millican, Drummonds TN, Hadman-BAE 3.870 314.61 314.61
FUNNY CAR
1 7 Bob Tasca III, Cranston RI, '12 Mustang 4.063 310.48 310.48
2 5 Mike Neff, Indianapolis IN, '12 Mustang 4.072 310.70 310.70
3 2 Jack Beckman, Norco CA, '10 Charger 4.077 310.13 310.13
4 28 Ron Capps, Carlsbad CA, '10 Charger 4.091 303.43 303.43
5 9 John Force, Yorba Linda CA, '12 Mustang 4.094 312.71 312.71
6 1 Matt Hagan, Christiansburg VA, '10 Charger 4.096 307.79 307.79
7 8 Jeff Arend, La Verne CA, '12 Camry 4.110 309.63 309.63
8 31 Johnny Gray, Artesia NM, '11 Charger 4.120 309.56 309.56
9 4 Robert Hight, Yorba Linda CA, '12 Mustang 4.124 304.12 304.12
10 388 Jim Head, Columbus OH, '10 Solara 4.128 305.49 305.49
PRO STOCK
1 4 Allen Johnson, Greeneville TN, '12 Avenger 6.623@ 207.75 207.75
2 2 Mike Edwards, Coweta OK, '09 GXP 6.641 207.27 207.27
3 5 Vincent Nobile, Dix Hills NY, '12 Avenger 6.667 207.02 207.02
4 55 V. Gaines, Lakewood CO, '12 Avenger 6.673 206.01 206.01
5 1 Jason Line, Mooresville NC, '09 GXP 6.678 206.04 206.04
6 8 Rodger Brogdon, Tomball TX, '09 GXP 6.678 204.60 204.60
7 3 Greg Anderson, Mooresville NC, '12 Camaro 6.680 206.04 206.04
8 2062 Ronnie Humphrey, Jacksonville NC, '09 GXP 6.680 205.88 205.88
9 25 Jeg Coughlin, Delaware OH, '12 Avenger 6.693 206.16 206.16
10 208 Warren Johnson, Sugar Hills GA, '09 GXP 6.700 204.85 204.85
PRO MODIFIED
1 43 Rickie Smith, King NC, '12 Camaro 5.900 240.85 240.85
2 24 Troy Coughlin, Delaware OH, t'68 Camaro 5.951 251.06 251.06
3 213 Chip King, Southport NC, t'69 Daytona 5.967 246.89 246.89
4 2 Danny Rowe, Laguna Hills CA, *'68 Camaro 5.971 242.28 242.28
5 1794 Mike Castellana, Muttontown NY, '69 Camaro 5.974 238.01 238.01
6 770 Donald Martin, Lake Forest CA, *'68 Camaro 5.976 242.80 242.80
7 777 Leah Pruett, Cherry Valley CA, t'12 Mustang 6.023 248.80 248.80
8 1518 Pete Farber, Baldwinville MA, *'69 Daytona 6.025 240.17 240.17
9 5011 Mike Knowles, Grand Junction CO, *'68 Camaro 6.044 239.44 239.65
10 1456 Mike Janis, Lancaster NY, '10 Mustang 6.088 237.67 237.67
FIRST SESSION
TOP FUEL
1 5 Tony Schumacher, Chicago IL, DSR-TFX 3.865 316.38 316.38
2 3 Antron Brown, Indianapolis IN, DSR-TFX 3.892 319.75 319.75
3 475 Steve Torrence, Kilgore TX, Hadman-TFX 3.893 311.70 311.70
4 796 Cory McClenathan, La Habra CA, Hadman-TFX 3.893 303.64 303.64
5 34 Morgan Lucas, Brownsburg IN, Hadman-TFX 3.900 303.78 303.78
6 99 Khalid alBalooshi, Los Angeles CA, Hadman-TFX 3.907 313.44 313.44
7 21 Terry McMillen, Elkhart IN, McKinney-TFX 4.017 244.74 244.74
8 255 Clay Millican, Drummonds TN, Hadman-BAE 4.075 231.00 231.00
9 22 Doug Kalitta, Ypsilanti MI, Attac-TFX 4.104 236.96 236.96
10 5050 Scott Palmer, Nixa MO, McKinney-BAE 4.157 237.05 237.05
FUNNY CAR
1 4 Robert Hight, Yorba Linda CA, '12 Mustang 4.124 304.12 304.12
2 7 Bob Tasca III, Cranston RI, '12 Mustang 4.145 303.91 303.91
3 2 Jack Beckman, Norco CA, '10 Charger 4.164 300.26 300.26
4 746 Courtney Force, Yorba Linda CA, '12 Mustang 4.177 302.08 302.08
5 771 Alexis DeJoria, Ypsilanti MI, '12 Camry 4.201 270.48 270.48
6 1 Matt Hagan, Christiansburg VA, '10 Charger 4.204 293.03 293.03
7 72 Tony Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, '12 Camry 4.205 293.22 293.22
8 256 Blake Alexander, Wirtz VA, '06 Monte Carlo 4.215 257.92 257.92
9 9 John Force, Yorba Linda CA, '12 Mustang 4.228 289.26 289.26
10 8 Jeff Arend, La Verne CA, '12 Camry 4.247 258.02 258.02
PRO STOCK
1 4 Allen Johnson, Greeneville TN, '12 Avenger 6.659 207.24 207.24
2 5 Vincent Nobile, Dix Hills NY, '12 Avenger 6.693 206.51 206.51
3 55 V. Gaines, Lakewood CO, '12 Avenger 6.704 205.44 205.44
4 2 Mike Edwards, Coweta OK, '09 GXP 6.706 205.98 205.98
5 10 Ron Krisher, Warren OH, '09 GXP 6.709 204.98 204.98
6 8 Rodger Brogdon, Tomball TX, '09 GXP 6.712 204.23 204.23
7 6 Erica Enders, New Orleans LA, '10 Cobalt 6.726 203.09 203.09
8 1 Jason Line, Mooresville NC, '09 GXP 6.727 205.01 205.01
9 3 Greg Anderson, Mooresville NC, '12 Camaro 6.729 204.70 204.70
10 2062 Ronnie Humphrey, Jacksonville NC, '09 GXP 6.737 204.01 204.01
PRO MODIFIED
1 43 Rickie Smith, King NC, '12 Camaro 5.959 239.53 239.53
2 2 Danny Rowe, Laguna Hills CA, *'68 Camaro 6.000 240.68 240.68
3 24 Troy Coughlin, Delaware OH, t'68 Camaro 6.025 248.84 248.84
4 1794 Mike Castellana, Muttontown NY, '69 Camaro 6.030 237.71 237.71
5 5011 Mike Knowles, Grand Junction CO, *'68 Camaro 6.047 239.65 239.65
6 770 Donald Martin, Lake Forest CA, *'68 Camaro 6.073 238.64 238.64
7 1456 Mike Janis, Lancaster NY, '10 Mustang 6.088 237.67 237.67
8 1518 Pete Farber, Baldwinville MA, *'69 Daytona 6.103 239.27 239.27
9 3382 Donald Walsh, Wixom MI, t'11 Mustang 6.119 247.20 247.20
10 314 Rick Stivers, Lexington KY, '69 Camaro 6.177 231.95 231.95
SPORTSMAN
SUPER STOCK
1 3903 SS/AAA Ray Skillman, Greenwood IN, '10 Mustang 8.446 9.40 -0.954
2 2093 GT/MA Bobby Dennis, Shorter AL, '90 Calais 10.898 11.75 -0.852
3 243 SS/AAA Roy Hill, Sophia NC, '10 Mustang 8.609 9.40 -0.791
4 3499 SS/N Gary Summers, Franklin KY, '85 Mustang 11.165 11.95 -0.785
5 300 SS/AM Chuck Gallagher, Lexington NC, '94 Sunbird 8.297 9.00 -0.703
6 44 GT/DA David Latino, Donaldsonville LA, '06 Coba 9.797 10.50 -0.703
7 201 GT/FA Herbie Null, Greencastle PA, '87 Camaro 10.100 10.80 -0.700
8 2 GT/CA Peter Biondo, Maspeth NY, '98 Firebird 9.712 10.40 -0.688
9 23 SS/BS Gary Coccaro, Panama City FL, '05 Sunfire 8.999 9.65 -0.651
10 1046 GT/IA Tom Sheehan, Belle Vernon PA, '00 Sebring 10.568 11.20 -0.632
STOCK
1 428 B/S Kevin Helms, Schriever LA, '10 Challenger 10.054 11.20 -1.146
2 2446 A/SA Robbie Shaw, Bowdon GA, '01 Firebird 10.181 11.00 -0.819
3 3909 AA/SA Drew Skillman, Greenwood IN, '12 Mustang 9.181 10.00 -0.819
4 4 B/SA Slate Cummings, Hammond LA, '99 Firebird 10.458 11.25 -0.792
5 8 AA/SA Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs IN, '12 Mustang 9.218 10.00 -0.782
6 400B C/SA Britt Cummings, Hammond LA, '00 Corvette 10.623 11.40 -0.777
7 489 B/SA Sam Pourciau, Walker LA, '02 Camaro 10.502 11.25 -0.748
8 1587 AA/S Don Fezell, DuBois PA, '08 Mustang 9.284 10.00 -0.716
9 1761 C/SA Robert Dean, Evans City PA, '94 Camaro 10.696 11.40 -0.704
10 131 D/SA Sterling Simmons, Chesterfield VA, '98 Ca 10.849 11.55 -0.701
SUPER GAS
1 3952 S/G Marvin Benoit Jr, Alvaton KY, '33 Ford 9.900 9.90 0.000
2 458C S/G Jim Repka, Wylie TX, '00 Camaro 9.901 9.90 0.001
3 2342 S/G Kenny Threatt, Springfield TN, '63 Corvet 9.901 9.90 0.001
4 2912 S/G Scott Duggins, Inman SC, '96 Beretta 9.903 9.90 0.003
5 1327 S/G Lee Klingensmith, Uniontown PA, '27-T Ford 9.906 9.90 0.006
6 350D S/G Adam Berberich, Blacklick OH, '68 Camaro 9.906 9.90 0.006
7 L268 S/G Steve Whitlow, Hendersonville TN, '01 Mus 9.911 9.90 0.011
8 2842 S/G Bernard Weaver, Madison VA, '84 Daytona 9.912 9.90 0.012
9 488B S/G Luke Bogacki, Carterville IL, '63 Corvette 9.913 9.90 0.013
10 45 S/G Ryan Baudoin, Breaux Bridge LA, '67 Camaro 9.917 9.90 0.017
