2012 NHRA AAA FINALS - EVENT RESULTS
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SUNDAY - BROWN AND BECKMAN EARN FULL THROTTLE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES, WHILE BERNSTEIN, C. PEDREGON, A. JOHNSON AND HINES TAKE AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS VICTORIES
Antron Brown became the first African-American to win a major U.S. auto racing title Sunday at the Auto Club NHRA Finals.
Brown, who lost in the opening round of eliminations, had to wait until the final round before he could grab the championship trophy, when Tony Schumacher lost in a photo finish to Brandon Bernstein.
Brown entered Sunday’s eliminations 67 points ahead of Tony Schumacher and for a while it appeared that Schumacher would put together another magical come-from-behind victory to take the title. Schumacher's U.S. Army dragster lost the final to Bernstein's ProtectTheHarvest.com dragster by eighth-thousandths of a second. When the win light went on in Bernstein’s lane, Matco Tools dragster driver Brown was mobbed by his teammates, family and friends in a huge celebration at the starting line.
“I feel so blessed to be in this moment right now and this is a big huge moment,” Brown said. “I am just glad we could bring it home for Don Schumacher Racing. To win the world championship the way the competition has been this year in Top Fuel and to run and compete how we’ve been doing all season long is just phenomenal. We all switched the lead back and forth a bunch of times. Is this really happening?”
Brown, who earned six victories in 11 final rounds and was top qualifier three times en route to his title, continues the great history of diversity in NHRA, joining pioneering champions Shirley Muldowney, Cruz and Tony Pedregon, Hector Arana and Angelle Sampey.
“If I can be an inspiration for any of the kids out there who have dreams, any Americans, that’s all I want,” said Brown, who became the 18th different driver to win a Top Fuel world championship title.
Jack Beckman claimed the Funny Car world championship title when he outlasted teammate Ron Capps and took the title by two points in one of the closest points margins in the history of the category.
Top qualifier Capps lost in a close semifinal round to rookie Courtney Force and dropped out of contention. Beckman was crowned champion before his semifinal matchup against eventual race winner Pedregon, which he ultimately lost.
Beckman’s title gave team owner Don Schumacher both nitro championship trophies and more than a million dollars in earnings for the weekend, duplicating his effort from 2005 when his son Tony won Top Fuel and Gary Scelzi took the Funny Car crown.
Beckman, a cancer survivor who won the 2003 Super Comp championship, came on during the Countdown playoffs and moved into contention with a win at St. Louis. He took the points lead at the event in Reading, Pa. when he set a national performance record and was the No. 1 qualifier. A major historian of the sport and former drag racing school driving instructor, Beckman, who drives the Valvoline/NextGen Dodge Charger, was more than thrilled with the outcome.
“You think about this, and you dream about this,” Beckman said. “It’s going to take me a while to wrap my head around this. We would have loved to have won it head-to-head (against Capps) in the final, but the trophy is going to shine just as well no matter what. We really wanted to win.”
Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) joined Bernstein (Top Fuel) as race winners of the final event of the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
The win for Bernstein was the 19th of his career and ended a drought that dated back to 2009. Bernstein used a quicker reaction at the start to finish in front of Schumacher. Bernstein posted a performance of 3.762 seconds at 320.81 to finish in front of the quicker, but losing U.S. Army dragster which clocked a 3.753 at 325.53.
“It’s awesome, we did a great job all weekend,” Bernstein said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a win. It’s a really good team and it’s a lot of fun. I don’t think I’ve ever had a win where I had to wait so long for the TV interview. Hopefully next year we’re in a better position to challenge for the championship. We’ll come out next year and try to get a championship.”
Pedregon raced to his first Funny Car victory of the season and 30th of his career, as he pulled away from rookie Force in the final round. Pedregon drove his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry to a performance of 4.035 at 306.12 while Force lost traction in her Traxxas Ford Mustang at the hit of the throttle.
“We’ve probably left five or six races on the table this year and we put it together this weekend," Pedregon said. "But we’ve always had a fast car. We placed third overall last year, and after winning today, we finished fourth this year and I think we’ve proved we belong with the top teams. We’re a smaller independent team, but with the way we finished, I think we can build on this and be one of the favorites heading into next season."
In Pro Stock, Johnson capped off his championship season with his seventh victory of the year and 16th of his career, powering his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger past Vincent Nobile in the final round. Johnson posted a 6.528 at 212.76 to hold off Nobile’s Mountain View Tire Avenger, which finished in 6.533 at 211.66.
“Our team is so awesome and the Mopar Dodge Avenger has just performed flawlessly,” said Johnson, who on Saturday gave Dodge its first Pro Stock championship since 1994 and fifth overall. “Determination and my father (who is his engine builder) is what got us to this point. He wanted to do this all his life and my whole focus was winning this with him. A lot of hard work and determination went into winning this. We had a dominating performance in this Countdown, won a championship and ended with a win. What more can we do? That has added just a little more emotion to it.”
Hines defeated newly crowned Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ Eddie Krawiec in the final round and took his sixth victory of the season and 31st of his career. Hines rode his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to a track record performance of 6.766 at 198.29 to finish in front of Krawiec, who trailed with a 6.805 at 197.54.
“It was by far the best bike I had all year,” Hines said. “This was an absolutely phenomenal bike I had all weekend long. It was a total joy to get down the track.”
The 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series opens Feb. 14-17 with the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
SATURDAY - CAPPS, LANGDON, LINE AND HINES EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS; A. JOHNSON AND KRAWIEC CLAIM FULL THROTTLE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES
Ron Capps spent three days trying to qualify for the Auto Club NHRA Finals. He finally did it in spectacular fashion on the last of his four attempts at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and took the battle for the Funny Car championship into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations.
Capps failed to qualify on Thursday and Friday. He was No. 15 in the 16-car field after Saturday morning’s third round and in danger of being bumped from the field in the final round.
Then he earned the No. 1 spot after pushing his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger to a track record 4.007-second elapsed time at 319.29 miles per hour and trails series leader Jack Beckman by two points going into the sixth and final round of the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship and the 23rd race in a season that began here in early February.
Those two points weigh heavily in Beckman’s favor, though. With each round win in eliminations, worth 20 points, they mean essentially that Capps must win one round more than Beckman to claim the championship.
“I think I aged another 10 years these last couple of hours,” said Capps, who led the standings with three races to go. “I felt like we were losing the grip on what our plan was. We had such a great plan on Thursday. We were going to make those points up and either be tied or go ahead of him and we failed miserably at that. So this (No. 1) is a confidence builder.
“Those two points, if we go out in the same round tomorrow we lose the championship by two points. So Rahn (Tobler, his crew chief) said ‘hey, let’s go out and win the race.’”
Mike Neff, who qualified 10th, is still in contention for the Funny Car title as well, but at 97 points back needs Capps and Beckman to lose first round and then the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang driver needs to win the race and set a national record.
Top Fuel leader Antron Brown, who is trying to become the first African-American driver to win a major U.S. auto racing championship, will have to do it on the track, too. Al-Anabi Racing's Shawn Langdon claimed the top spot in qualifying with a track record time of 3.730 at 327.82 in Saturday’s final session and Brown was 10th after his Matco Tools dragster blew the engine on his final run.
“Alan (Johnson, team manager) and them are always looking for the big numbers,” Langdon said. “They said before the run that it had to go 72 or 73. I knew from the time I stepped on the throttle it was going to be fast.”
Brown will go into Sunday 67 points ahead of seven-time champion Tony Schumacher and 70 up on Spencer Massey, his first round opponent. Brown needs to win two rounds to claim the championship regardless of what his rivals do.
Allen Johnson and Eddie Krawiec don’t have to worry about their title chances anymore. By qualifying for the eliminations, Johnson clinched his first Pro Stock title and Krawiec won the Pro Stock Motorcycle crown for the second year in a row and third time since 2007.
Jason Line in Pro Stock and Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle were the top qualifiers.
Line took the top spot in the Pro Stock field Saturday morning by setting a pair of track records with a performance of 6.517 at 212.69 in a Chevrolet Camaro and that time stood up through the afternoon session.
Closest to Line was Johnson, with a 6.518 that put his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger in the No. 2 spot.
“I can’t say enough about this entire team,” Johnson said. “I didn’t do any of this. It’s due to the hard work and dedication of all of them. I’m just the driver, that’s it.”
Hines and Krawiec played “can you top this” in the final round of Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying and even though Hines emerged as the top qualifier, Krawiec was the big winner. Krawiec, fifth in the field when the fourth round began, jumped to No. 1 with a run of 6.811 at 196.59 on his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. Hines reclaimed the top spot he had held since the opening round with a track record time of 6.809 at 196.53. But the move from fifth to second gave Krawiec the points he needed to clinch the championship over his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate.
“The most important thing is that this is a team effort,” Krawiec said. “It’s a big deal for our team. We come out here all year and work hard and give it 100 percent and I get the glory, but I want the glory for the whole team.”
FRIDAY - BECKMAN, LUCAS, ANDERSON AND HINES LEAD QUALIFYING AT AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS
Jack Beckman stole the show again Friday in the second round of qualifying for the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway and said, “all things being equal, I preferred that run to yesterday.”
The run Friday, a 4.025-second elapsed time at 319.75 mph, put the Funny Car points leader in the No. 1 spot in the field for the sixth and final round of the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship and added three points to his lead over second-place Ron Capps, who has not qualified.
Beckman has a seven-point advantage over his Don Schumacher Racing teammate with two rounds of qualifying in all classes scheduled for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday to set the fields for Sunday’s 11 a.m. elimination rounds.
It was a stunning reversal for Beckman, whose Valvoline/NextGen Dodge Charger blew an engine and lost all the fiberglass bodywork in a fiery explosion during his first qualifying attempt on Thursday, and he gave all of the credit to his crew.
“Those guys were able to take a car that was in really bad shape last night and bring back a great race car,” he said. “Now we can play around tomorrow and go for the throat on Sunday.
“I think that our objective in qualifying here was not to lose ground in points (to Capps and third-place Mike Neff, who trails by 89 points), so we needed to do well. But the war is going to be on Sunday. We want to turn on the win light and that will guarantee us the championship.” 
Morgan Lucas in Top Fuel, Greg Anderson in Pro Stock and Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle are the other class leaders.
Lucas at least temporarily took the spotlight from the Top Fuel title contenders by running a 3.761 at 324.98 in his GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster in the first round of qualifying for the class, which lost its opening session to rain on Thursday.
Points leader Antron Brown, who’s trying to become the first African-American driver to win a major U.S. auto racing championship, was sixth in the Matco Tools dragster and is 65 points ahead of seven-time champion Tony Schumacher, who sits ninth in his U.S. Army dragster.
“We’re looking at it as getting ready for next year,” said Lucas. “We’re having a problem with the car not wearing as much clutch as it normally would (and losing time in the middle of the run). It’s been kind of inconsistent in that regard. We know there is some left out there.”
Four-time Pro Stock champion Anderson, who has struggled with a new Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro for the past few months, moved to the top of the bracket with a 6.527 at 211.76. Anderson has been the No. 1 qualifier 75 times, but is looking for his first No. 1 of this season.
First round leader Allen Johnson is No. 2 and will clinch his first world championship by qualifying for Sunday’s eliminations.
“This is like Christmas for me. It’s been awhile,” Anderson said. “We’ve been working very hard on these new Camaros. We got a little bit lost when we brought them out back in July. We got a little confused with the chassis. We’re finally turning the corner and we’ll have great hot rods for next year.
“Hopefully this gets me back in the groove. There’s not a lot of room left (to improve), but there were a couple of places that were not quite perfect, so if we can brush them up we’ve got a shot (to stay No. 1).”
Hines strengthened his hold on the top spot in the Pro Stock Motorcycle field by pushing his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to a performance of 6.838 at 196.10. He posted a 6.872 in Thursday’s first round.
“I didn’t think the round was going to be as quick as it was (because of marginal conditions for the motorcycles) so it was surprising to see some of the numbers that were coming up,” said Hines, who won this event last year.
“We got pretty much all of it on that run. I don’t know how much more we can improve on that. It was pretty good all the way down the track.”
No. 2 qualifier Eddie Krawiec, Hines’ teammate, will win his second straight and third overall series title by qualifying for Sunday's eliminations.
TOP FUEL
1 34 Morgan Lucas, Brownsburg IN, Hadman-TFX 3.761 324.98 324.98
2 99 Khalid alBalooshi, Los Angeles CA, Hadman-TFX 3.781 324.20 324.20
3 44 David Grubnic, Ypsilanti MI, Attac-TFX 3.787 322.27 322.27
4 2 Spencer Massey, Ft. Worth TX, DSR-TFX 3.791 325.69 325.69
5 12 Bob Vandergriff, Alpharetta GA, Hadman-TFX 3.802 323.50 323.50
6 3 Antron Brown, Indianapolis IN, DSR-TFX 3.804 321.27 321.27
7 255 Clay Millican, Drummonds TN, Hadman-BAE 3.804 320.66 320.66
8 22 Doug Kalitta, Ypsilanti MI, Hadman-AJPE 3.805 326.08 326.08
9 5 Tony Schumacher, Chicago IL, DSR-TFX 3.807 307.44 307.44
10 796 Cory McClenathan, La Habra CA, Hadman-TFX 3.892 312.50 312.50
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
FUNNY CAR
1 2 Jack Beckman, Norco CA, '12 Charger 4.025 319.75 319.75
2 746 Courtney Force, Yorba Linda CA, '12 Mustang 4.032 315.93 315.93
3 388 Jim Head, Columbus OH, '10 Solara 4.056 306.40 306.40
4 3 Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, '12 Camry 4.059 311.85 311.85
5 31 Johnny Gray, Artesia NM, '12 Charger 4.060 313.22 313.22
6 5 Mike Neff, Indianapolis IN, '12 Mustang 4.062 313.66 313.66
7 116 Paul Lee, Anaheim CA, '10 Charger 4.082 308.28 308.28
8 4 Robert Hight, Yorba Linda CA, '12 Mustang 4.096 311.56 311.56
9 1 Matt Hagan, Christiansburg VA, '12 Charger 4.100 308.50 308.50
10 728 Grant Downing, Fullerton CA, '10 Charger 4.108 308.35 308.35
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
PRO STOCK
1 3 Greg Anderson, Mooresville NC, '12 Camaro 6.527 211.76 211.76
2 4 Allen Johnson, Greeneville TN, '12 Avenger 6.537 211.56 211.56
3 1 Jason Line, Mooresville NC, '12 Camaro 6.539 212.19 212.19
4 55 V. Gaines, Lakewood CO, '12 Avenger 6.544 211.49 211.49
5 6 Erica Enders, New Orleans LA, '10 Cobalt 6.550 211.59 211.59
6 5 Vincent Nobile, Dix Hills NY, '12 Avenger 6.567 210.60 210.60
7 10 Ron Krisher, Warren OH, '09 GXP 6.577 210.05 210.05
8 9 Shane Gray, Denver NC, '09 GXP 6.588 209.98 209.98
9 208 Warren Johnson, Sugar Hills GA, '09 GXP 6.588 209.20 209.20
10 8 Rodger Brogdon, Tomball TX, '12 Camaro 6.589 209.07 209.07
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
1 3 Andrew Hines, Brownsburg IN, Harley V-Rod 6.838 196.10 196.10
2 1 Eddie Krawiec, Brownsburg IN, Harley V-Rod 6.874 196.19 196.19
3 635 Scotty Pollacheck, Medford OR, Buell XB12R 6.876 191.29 191.29
4 4 Matt Smith, King NC, Buell XB9R 6.882 193.40 193.43
5 7 LE Tonglet, Metairie LA, Suzuki GSXR 6.883 193.90 193.90
6 2 Hector Arana Jr, Milltown IN, Buell XB9R 6.889 194.49 194.49
7 5 Hector Arana, Milltown IN, Buell XB9R 6.891 193.52 193.52
8 6 Karen Stoffer, Gardnerville NV, Suzuki TL1000R 6.907 191.57 191.95
9 200 Chip Ellis, Brownsburg IN, Buell XB9R 6.924 192.06 192.06
10 751 Steve Johnson, Birmingham AL, Suzuki TL1000 6.927 193.07 193.40
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER (FINAL)
1 3 B/AD Jim Whiteley, Grand Junction CO, Nielso 5.227 274.27 274.27
2 5 B/AD Chris Demke, Tujunga CA, Uyehara-BAE 5.259 271.52 271.52
3 2 A/FD Bill Reichert, Owosso MI, Bowen-Reich 5.265 267.85 267.85
4 611 A/FD Garrett Bateman, Albany OR, Hadman-BAE 5.326 264.34 264.34
5 596 A/FD Randy Meyer, Spring Hill KS, Meyer-BAE 5.335 259.16 259.16
6 10 A/FD Chase Copeland, Gainesville TX, Monden- 5.351 263.10 269.24
7 6067 A/FD Don St. Arnaud, Edmonton AB, Hadman-BAE 5.353 276.41 276.41
8 15 A/FD John Finke, Selkirk NY, Monden-Chrysler 5.357 266.37 266.37
9 487 A/FD Mark Taliaferro, Odessa TX, Monden-CRE 5.373 270.05 270.05
10 1 A/FD Duane Shields, Boulder City NV, Hadman- 5.382 261.88 261.88
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TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR (FINAL)
1 6 John Lombardo Jr., Brea CA, '06 Monte Carlo 5.506 261.02 261.42
2 8 Steve Gasparrelli, W. Covina CA, '06 Monte Car 5.577 260.21 260.21
3 73 Doug Gordon, Paso Robles CA, '06 Monte Carlo 5.584 259.66 259.66
4 744 Shane Westerfield, Lake Forest CA, '06 Monte C 5.605 258.22 258.22
5 6180 Jirka Kaplan, Calgary AB, '09 Mustang 5.608 256.94 256.94
6 62 Clint Thompson, Klamath Falls OR, '06 Monte Ca 5.610 253.56 253.56
7 3 Jay Payne, Claremont CA, '10 Mustang 5.626 259.06 259.06
8 766 Jason Rupert, Yorba Linda CA, '06 Monte Carlo 5.627 255.43 256.06
9 7976 Keeter Ray, Newport Beach CA, '06 Monte Carlo 5.642 255.82 255.82
10 2 Tony Bartone, Long Island City NY, '09 Mustang 5.655 261.07 261.07
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
COMP (FINAL)
1 717 I/SM Mike DePalma, Glendale AZ, '89 Trans Am 8.852 9.57 -0.718
2 34 C/SM Chuck Haubiel, Gahanna OH, '10 Cobalt 8.102 8.76 -0.658
3 10 E/SM Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs IN, '10 Cobalt 8.404 9.05 -0.646
4 5 K/A Clint Neff, Arvada CO, '23-T Ford 7.681 8.31 -0.629
5 7298 A/SM Scott Hedlund, Anaheim CA, '10 Cobalt 7.715 8.34 -0.625
6 6660 B/SMA Adam Bowdish, Oregon City OR, '05 Cavalier 7.969 8.58 -0.611
7 66 G/A Aaron Strong, Auburn WA, '05 Cavalier 8.308 8.91 -0.602
8 4165 C/DA Dick Maris, Montgomery TX, ProStart 6.956 7.55 -0.594
9 358 L/AA David Billingsley, Decatur IL, '93 Cutlass 8.749 9.34 -0.591
10 74 PSTA Tom Mettler, Bakersfield CA, '01 Dakota 7.635 8.22 -0.585
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SUPER STOCK (FINAL)
1 3903 SS/AAA Ray Skillman, Greenwood IN, '10 Mustang 8.279 9.40 -1.121
2 5214 SS/GM Doug Engels, Watertown SD, '57 Corvette 9.289 10.30 -1.011
3 554 GT/LA Ron Roddel, Sioux Falls SD, '02 Grand Am 10.584 11.55 -0.966
4 6846 GT/CA Byron Setters, Red Deer AB, '09 G5 9.448 10.40 -0.952
5 7607 SS/FA Jack Bystrom, Rancho Cucamonga CA, '68 Ca 9.514 10.45 -0.936
6 77 SS/JA Mike Cotten, Broken Arrow OK, '70 Barracu 10.079 11.00 -0.921
7 5 SS/BS Jimmy DeFrank, Chatsworth CA, '10 Cobalt 8.739 9.65 -0.911
8 7155 SS/JA Leo Glasbrennar, Chino CA, '97 Firebird 10.098 11.00 -0.902
9 4466 GT/AA Robert Cruzen, Las Vegas NV, '06 Cobalt 9.212 10.10 -0.888
10 26 SS/CM Jeff Adkinson, Damascus GA, '10 Cobalt 8.614 9.50 -0.886
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
STOCK (FINAL)
1 8 AA/SA Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs IN, '12 Mustang 8.930 10.00 -1.070
2 79 C/SA Leo Glasbrenner, Chino CA, '68 Firebird 10.356 11.40 -1.044
3 7644 BB/SA Eric Reyes, Petaluma CA, '12 Camaro 9.283 10.30 -1.017
4 339L D/SA Randi Lyn Shipp, Floyds Knobs IN, '67 Fir 10.580 11.55 -0.970
5 7411 N/SA Jon Irving, Boulder City NV, '78 Aspen Wgn12.061 13.00 -0.939
6 652 G/S Bob Gullett, Calgary AB, '68 Nova 10.963 11.90 -0.937
7 778 B/SA Jimmy DeFrank, Chatsworth CA, '69 Camaro 10.326 11.25 -0.924
8 7002 D/SA Jim Meador, Yorba Linda CA, '67 Camaro 10.627 11.55 -0.923
9 7593 C/SA Richard Pauley, Saugus CA, '68 Mustang 10.481 11.40 -0.919
10 T700 A/SA Paul Cannan, Devore CA, '69 Camaro 10.092 11.00 -0.908
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
SUPER COMP (ROUND ONE WINNERS)
1 4961 S/C Craig Anderson, Waxahachie TX, '67 Camaro 8.906 8.90 0.006 2 7354 S/C James Outram, Sky Valley CA, Horton-Chevy 8.907 8.90 0.007 3 780 S/C Guy Aguayo, Santee CA, Don Davis-Chevy 8.907 8.90 0.007 4 793 S/C Tom McBride, Lakeside CA, Victory-Chevy 8.909 8.90 0.009 5 73 S/C Justin Morgan, Concord CA, Sarmento-Chevy 8.911 8.90 0.011 6 7004 S/C Tony Tetone Jr., Glendora CA, Cameron-Che 8.914 8.90 0.014 7 74 S/C Greg Boutte, Loma Linda CA, Worthy-Chevy 8.915 8.90 0.015 8 706C S/C Chad Langdon, La Mirada CA, Victory-Chevy 8.916 8.90 0.016 9 C793 S/C Nick Saetes, Sacramento CA, Undercover-Ch 8.917 8.90 0.017 10 7685 S/C Charlie Waggoner Jr., Los Angeles CA, Han 8.918 8.90 0.018
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SUPER GAS (ROUND ONE WINNERS)
1 7021 S/G James Galante, Tujunga CA, '67 Nova 9.902 9.90 0.002
2 7019 S/G Peter Bothe, Long Beach CA, '78 Porsche 9.905 9.90 0.005
3 767G S/G Gerald Turczyn Jr., Glendale AZ, '04 Corv 9.908 9.90 0.008
4 6173 S/G Ken Mostowich, Calgary AB, '12 Corvette 9.908 9.90 0.008
5 79 S/G Ryan Herem, Quartz Hill CA, '62 Corvette 9.910 9.90 0.010
6 7332 S/G Larry Bradshaw, Danville CA, '03 Trans Am 9.910 9.90 0.010
7 4961 S/G Craig Anderson, Waxahachie TX, '63 Corvet 9.912 9.90 0.012
8 7930 S/G Scott Rollins, Phoenix AZ, '95 Grand Prix 9.912 9.90 0.012
9 76 S/G Steve Parsons, Ridgecrest CA, '63 Corvette 9.913 9.90 0.013
10 7047 S/G Mike Blodgett Jr., Long Beach CA, '72 Vega 9.914 9.90 0.014
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
THURSDAY - C. FORCE, A. JOHNSON AND HINES RACE TO QUALIFYING LEADS AT AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS
Rookie sensation Courtney Force strengthened her bid for the NHRA Auto Club Road to the Future Award and the Funny car portion of the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship got more interesting Thursday as the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals got under way at historic Auto Club Raceway.
Allen Johnson and Andrew Hines were the qualifying leaders in Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, respectively, but the opening session for the Top Fuel cars was washed out by persistent afternoon rain showers. Qualifying will continue with one round scheduled on Friday afternoon and two rounds on Saturday, but today's rained-out Top Fuel session will not be made up.
Force, at 24 the youngest of perennial Funny Car champion John Force’s four daughters, moved into position to claim her third No. 1 qualifying award of the season in the Funny Car class with a category-best run of 4.032 seconds at 315.93 mph in her Traxxas Ford Mustang.
“This was kind of surreal, coming out here and remembering what it was like (at her first race) in February, when I was so sick to my stomach,” Force said. “I’ve got a great car and a great team. Running a 4.03 the first lap out is amazing. I’m hoping it hold up for No. 1. That would be pretty awesome.”
Jack Beckman and Ron Capps ended Funny Car qualifying in spectacular fashion. Beckman, 46, who leads Capps by four points in the sixth and final round of the Countdown playoffs, had his qualifying run ended when the fiberglass body on his Valvoline Dodge Charger blew off in a massive engine explosion. Beckman qualified fifth with a 4.117 at 273.00, but Capps, 47, lost traction in his the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger, and was the first non-qualifier.
“I’ve never had that happen before and I’m not going to sign up for it again,” said Beckman, who was unhurt in the incident. “I had just let go of the wheel to reach for the parachute and all of a sudden there was no body on the car.”
The beneficiary of the leaders’ problems was Force teammate Mike Neff, who came into the weekend in third place, 88 points behind Beckman. He was No. 2, with a 4.062 at 313.66 in the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, and cut his deficit to 86.
All three Funny Car contenders are seeking their first championship.
Johnson, who will clinch his first Pro Stock title by qualifying for Sunday’s elimination rounds, made those final three sessions anticlimactic by putting his Team Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Avenger atop the field with a performance of 6.565 at 210.47.
“That was a pretty good run right there,” Johnson said. “If the weather conditions (cool and overcast with possible rain showers) hold like they’re supposed to we should be right there, in the top three or four anyhow. My mindset was that we were going to get one run and then it was going to rain for three days so I wanted to be sure to get it down the track. The guy on the mic with me (crew member Mike Gott) said ‘I believe we can say champion now.’”
Hines put his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson in the top spot in the Pro Stock Motorcycle field with a 6.872 at 196.04, just ahead of the 6.874 at 196.19 turned in by teammate and series points leader Eddie Krawiec.
“Where was this motorcycle at the last race?,” said Hines, who lost to Krawiec in the final two weeks ago at Las Vegas and is second in the standings, 110 points behind. “Everything but the chassis is completely different. We’re a little bit off where we should be (in elapsed time), but this tune-up has never been on the bike before.”
THURSDAY QUALIFYING
FUNNY CAR
1 746 Courtney Force, Yorba Linda CA, '12 Mustang 4.032 315.93 315.93
2 5 Mike Neff, Indianapolis IN, '12 Mustang 4.062 313.66 313.66
3 31 Johnny Gray, Artesia NM, '12 Charger 4.065 312.57 312.57
4 4 Robert Hight, Yorba Linda CA, '12 Mustang 4.096 311.56 311.56
5 2 Jack Beckman, Norco CA, '12 Charger 4.117 273.00 273.00
6 8 Jeff Arend, La Verne CA, '12 Camry 4.127 309.27 309.27
7 3 Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, '12 Camry 4.576 184.47 184.47
8 7429 Josh Crawford, Oakdale CA, '10 Charger 5.013 154.79 154.79
9 22 Todd Lesenko, St. Albert AB, '12 Charger 5.376 133.83 133.83
10 121 Terry Haddock, Temple TX, '10 Impala 7.139 93.40 93.40
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PRO STOCK
1 4 Allen Johnson, Greeneville TN, '12 Avenger 6.565 210.47 210.47
2 1 Jason Line, Mooresville NC, '12 Camaro 6.569 211.10 211.10
3 2 Mike Edwards, Coweta OK, '09 GXP 6.597 210.24 210.24
4 55 V. Gaines, Lakewood CO, '12 Avenger 6.599 210.11 210.11
5 6 Erica Enders, New Orleans LA, '10 Cobalt 6.600 209.75 209.75
6 21 Kurt Johnson, Sugar Hill GA, '09 GXP 6.603 208.84 208.84
7 5 Vincent Nobile, Dix Hills NY, '12 Avenger 6.610 209.52 209.52
8 10 Ron Krisher, Warren OH, '09 GXP 6.612 209.39 209.39
9 9 Shane Gray, Denver NC, '09 GXP 6.614 208.81 208.81
10 25 Jeg Coughlin, Delaware OH, '12 Avenger 6.616 208.91 208.91
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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
1 3 Andrew Hines, Brownsburg IN, Harley V-Rod 6.872 196.04 196.04
2 1 Eddie Krawiec, Brownsburg IN, Harley V-Rod 6.874 196.19 196.19
3 4 Matt Smith, King NC, Buell XB9R 6.882 193.40 193.40
4 2 Hector Arana Jr, Milltown IN, Buell XB9R 6.889 194.49 194.49
5 635 Scotty Pollacheck, Medford OR, Buell XB12R 6.898 191.08 191.08
6 751 Steve Johnson, Birmingham AL, Suzuki TL1000 6.927 193.07 193.07
7 1528 John Hall, Hamden CT, Buell XB12R 6.931 190.78 190.78
8 6 Karen Stoffer, Gardnerville NV, Suzuki TL1000R 6.933 191.95 191.95
9 7 LE Tonglet, Metairie LA, Suzuki GSXR 6.951 193.10 193.10
10 485 GT Tonglet, Metairie LA, Buell XB9R 6.999 191.48 191.48
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SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING
SUPER STOCK (SESSION ONE)
1 3903 SS/AAA Ray Skillman, Greenwood IN, '10 Mustang 8.411 9.40 -0.989
2 6846 GT/CA Byron Setters, Red Deer AB, '09 G5 9.452 10.40 -0.948
3 5214 SS/GM Doug Engels, Watertown SD, '57 Corvette 9.358 10.30 -0.942
4 7607 SS/FA Jack Bystrom, Rancho Cucamonga CA, '68 Ca 9.514 10.45 -0.936
5 77 SS/JA Mike Cotten, Broken Arrow OK, '70 Barracu 10.087 11.00 -0.913
6 554 GT/LA Ron Roddel, Sioux Falls SD, '02 Grand Am 10.639 11.55 -0.911
7 7155 SS/JA Leo Glasbrennar, Chino CA, '97 Firebird 10.098 11.00 -0.902
8 4466 GT/AA Robert Cruzen, Las Vegas NV, '06 Cobalt 9.229 10.10 -0.871
9 26 SS/CM Jeff Adkinson, Damascus GA, '10 Cobalt 8.634 9.50 -0.866
10 5 SS/BS Jimmy DeFrank, Chatsworth CA, '10 Cobalt 8.788 9.65 -0.862
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STOCK (SESSION ONE)
1 8 AA/SA Bo Butner, Floyds Knobs IN, '12 Mustang 8.959 10.00 -1.041
2 7644 BB/SA Eric Reyes, Petaluma CA, '12 Camaro 9.283 10.30 -1.017
3 79 C/SA Leo Glasbrenner, Chino CA, '68 Firebird 10.393 11.40 -1.007
4 339L D/SA Randi Lyn Shipp, Floyds Knobs IN, '67 Fir 10.638 11.55 -0.912
5 652 G/S Bob Gullett, Calgary AB, '68 Nova 11.001 11.90 -0.899
6 7411 N/SA Jon Irving, Boulder City NV, '78 Aspen Wgn12.116 13.00 -0.884
7 6273 K/SA Angela Bushmaker, Auburn WA, '65 Valiant 11.766 12.65 -0.884
8 7002 D/SA Jim Meador, Yorba Linda CA, '67 Camaro 10.666 11.55 -0.884
9 7307 G/SA Jeff Jerome, Los Angeles CA, '73 Duster 11.126 12.00 -0.874
10 7593 C/SA Richard Pauley, Saugus CA, '68 Mustang 10.526 11.40 -0.874
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