EVENT NEWS EVENT NOTEBOOK POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS FINAL ROUND RESULTS			EVENT GALLERY

SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - RANDOM RACEDAY NOTES

HINES BACK ON TOP - The combination of an Eddie Krawiec loss and a semifinal victory by Andrew Hines provided an opportunity for the teammates to flip-flop placement in the point standings. The switch took place in the second round when the Screamin'Eagle Harley-Davidson rider beat engine customer Jerry Savoie.

RISING AND FALLING STOCK - Prior to the Countdown, Richie Crampton looked like a lock for the Rookie of the Year honors. However, since the Countdown started Crampton is winless. His closest contender, Jonathan Gray, opened the Countdown with his first career victory.

Crampton lost in the first round to Spencer Massey, his second consecutive loss to a playoff contender.

Gray, on the other hand, won his first round match against V. Gaines, and beat Erica Enders-Stevens before losing to teammate Dave Connolly in the semis.  

Gray made the jump to fifth place in the standings, just 72 points out of first.

POINT LEADER O-FER - Doug Kalitta entered the Countdown as the point leader, but with consecutive first round losses in Charlotte and now Dallas, he's in a points freefall. Kalitta smoked the tires against Troy Buff on Sunday.

"There's a lot of rounds left, and we're a strong group," Kalitta said. "It was one of those deals where we were trying to get a little more out of it than we should have."

O-FER THE COUNTDOWN - Antron Brown just can't find a break this playoff season. Brown, after losing to Spencer Massey in the first round in Charlotte, lost another when he fell short against Shawn Langdon during Sunday's opening round.

"Well, it wasn't what we wanted in the first round," said Brown, who has won five event titles this season. "We had a good handle on it, and we ended up smoking a (clutch) disc out of the car and it dropped a (cylinder).

"We worked real hard; the car had a great 60-foot time, and it's still within a hundredth at 330 feet. We thought we had Shawn's number. The thing about it is, it just wasn't our time.

"We knew we had a set up to go out there and run good and be real competitive with them. It just takes a little bit of wind out of you. We've been fighting other problems (with the car) and we got those problems fixed and then something else comes up and bites you."

Brown started the day ranked sixth in Countdown points but fell to eighth and trails points leader and Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tony Schumacher by 133 or 153 points.

NO TREE MALFUNCTION - NHRA officials conducted an investigation following Cruz Pedregon's first round foul against Tommy Johnson Jr., and determined there was no tree malfunction during the race.

Anthony Vestal, NHRA Media Relations Manager, explained, "The car vibrated and broke the beam. His car rolled back, and then he went [forward]. The beam had already been broken before he left."

Pedregon said he discussed the situation with NHRA VP of Operations Graham Light as well as Compulink timing system's Bob Brockmeyer.

"The bottom line is as a driver I don't feel I had a red-light," Pedregon said. "I was shaving a light down, don't get me wrong. I was as startled as anyone to see there was a red-light. Those are the rules and we all have to go off of that. My claim is I have no control of when the timing starts, the only control a driver has is when he opens the throttle. [The driver] is responsible for when the red comes on. All of my incrementals were a tenth of a second and we have conclusive evidence the run was quicker than our 4.15."

The loss is still a tough one for Pedregon to stomach.

"I'd like to scream and protest, but I respect NHRA's decision," said Pedregon. "I feel like there are some flaws in the system. I believe if yourcar comes up out of the beam, it shouldn't be a death sentence meaning you go home. If you have a tire that hops up, that's a good working car if you ask me. We'll respect the decision and move on."

The loss marked Pedregon's second first round exit in the Countdown.

ALL GRAY, ALL THE WAY - Gray Motorsports for the second time in three races put three team cars in the Pro Stock semis. The dominating performance also marked the third consecutive weekend the Mooresville, NC-based team has had at least two team cars in the semis.

FORCE STILL TALKING - John Force was still over-center following his red-light loss in the postponed Charlotte Funny Car final round. He admitted to violating his rules of engagement.

"I told Courtney before we raced last week, 'don't go after me, your daddy, it will make you all wrong," Force said. "[I told her] I don't go after you, I go after that red car. I told her to go after the green car because that's what she has to do. Instead of me going after that black car with Freightliner, I saw big 'ole Hagan go by. I got all jacked up and my program changed.

"I got into a personal war with him in my head. I was determined I was going to spank that boy, break his back. I don't car how big he is. I thought that all worked. But it don't work that way. I just went the wrong way and things things changed because I like the kid and he's a great driver."

FIRST ROUND COUNTDOWN EXITS - Doug Kalitta, Antron Brown, Richie Crampton, Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps, Jeggie Coughlin, V. Gaines, Chris McGaha, Chaz Kennedy, Matt Smith, Eddie Krawiec, Hector Arana and Hector Arana Jr. lost in the first round.

A GET-RIGHT WEEKEND - Del Worsham and the DHL team lived up to their potential this weekend.

“By far the best weekend of the year for our DHL Toyota Camry,” said Worsham, who was racing in his 500th NHRA race today. “We felt confident going into the final, we knew we had a car that was running well and thought we had a car that was good enough to win. In the final, we had an advantage early, but then dropped a cylinder. But that’s why they call it a race and not a gathering. I think our team is starting to gel. We gained a couple of spots today, but I have a feeling this one is going to go right down til the end.”

BUFF IS THE STUFF - Troy Buff reached his fourth career Top Fuel semifinal round by defeating Doug Kalitta and Larry Dixon.

Buff is racing in the closest NHRA venue to his Spring, Texas home. However; this changed during pre-race introductions when the announcing staff proclaimed he was from team owner Bill Miller's hometown of Carson City, Nev.

Buff shrugged off the snafu by proclaiming, "It's okay, enough people around here know me."

Buff then went out and raced as if he had a home field advantage. He appeared to be a reluctant winner against Kalitta.

"I'm kind of bummed out for Doug because I know he's running for the championship, but I am really happy for this team because we have been working our tails off to win rounds," said Buff.

Buff's day ended against Tony Schumacher.

NO DOUBLE DOWN TODAY - Freddie Camerena was the giant slayer in the first round as he took down point leader and No. 1 qualifier Eddie Krawiec.

FIFTH TIME IS THE CHARM - Tommy Johnson Jr. in his fifth meeting with John Force ended Force's seven consecutive final round streak.

GIANT KILLER - Tim Wilkerson isn't afraid of racing the giants. He opened by taking out Ron Capps and in the second round to knocking out Charlotte winner Matt Hagan.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with saying I enjoy beating any of the big multi-car teams out here," Wilkerson said. "I know what they run on, and I know what they can share in terms of stacks of data, and they know I'm by myself and they know what I run on. It's got to get under their skin a little bit when our team takes 'em out. I love racing, and winning is really good, so I'm never ashamed to get fired up when I beat a team that dwarfs us. It's a David versus Goliath thing, I guess."

Wilkerson lost in the semis to Del Worsham.

"I would've had a hard time beating that, so hats off to those guys for being able to run a number like that on a track that hot," Wilk said. "I was pretty sure one or both of us would have traction problems out there, so I was ready for a pedal-fest, but we both made it all the way and he was just faster. That's how this sport works.

"My guys were a little down, and I like that they're so passionate about doing well, but I told them we had as good a day as anyone here, running against some Goliath teams, and we did okay. St. Louis is next, and with that being our home race, we might as well win that one."

NO. 10 SEEDS EXCEL - There's a common denominator amongst the No. 10 Countdown seeds - they won't leave in the same position. JR Todd [Top Fuel], Tim Wilkerson [Funny Car], Jonathan Gray [Pro Stock Bike] and Steve Johnson [Pro Stock Motorcycle] all reached the semifinals.

Johnson made the highest leap, but ascending into the third spot while both Todd and Gray climbed into fifth in their respective categories. Wilkerson moved up to ninth.

SHE'S OFFICIALLY BACK - Three-time champion Angelle Sampey-Drago qualified for this weekend's event, and lost in the first round. She was named as a rider for Star Racing last weekend in Charlotte.

"I really didn't know how I was going to feel being back out here other than nervous and scared," she said. "It just took a few runs and now I am so excited. The fans have been so great with all the support they've given me."

Sampey-Drago said her riding routine came back quickly despite a first round loss to John Hall.

"It's like riding a bicycle; it all came rushing back to me," Sampey-Drago admitted.

DEFENDING PRO STOCK CHAMP EXITS EARLY - Reigning Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. need to make more hay while the sun is shining. He lost in the first round to friendly rival Greg Anderson.
 
"We've got four races left, so we'll certainly make a strong effort," Coughlin said. "The whole team is extremely capable, and Allen (Johnson, teammate) has a great shot at winning the race today. He ran a real nice 6.56 there first round. I really felt like we were going to run a 6.56 or 6.57 ourselves even being first pair out. It just wasn't in the cards, as you say, so we'll move on to St. Louis next weekend."
 
"Not quite the weekend we had drawn up," Coughlin said. "Here in Dallas, with the finishing up of the Charlotte race and then rolling into this event, we had high hopes. The car just wasn't where we needed it to be. Probably our best run was in Q4, which gave us a ton of confidence going into today. It just didn't work out this time."

 

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - WE ARE DOWN TO JUST ONE RACE NOW

TOP FUEL

TODD TOPS TOP FUEL - JR Todd earned his second consecutive top qualifying position on the strength of his Friday night run of 3.761 at 317.87 in his Optima Batteries dragster. He will face Morgan Lucas in the first round of eliminations.

“To come back here and back up that No. 1 from last week shows that it wasn’t a fluke, I suppose,” Todd said. “It was definitely tricky today with the heat. We’ll come into race day with that 3.86 we ran in the heat, and I think that’s what it’s going to take to go some rounds tomorrow.”

SHOE KICKS UP - Tony Schumacher won his 75th event title by beating Khalid alBalooshi in the finals of the rain-delayed NHRA Carolina Nationals. He took over the Top Fuel dragster championship points lead when they defeated DSR teammate Spencer Massey in the delayed semifinals.

"It couldn't have come at a better time," Schumacher said. "This is the first race of the Countdown even though we had to move it to Dallas. It really doesn't matter, it was just harder to keep yourself up for it. It's a difficult thing to do, you run first round at a racetrack and then you have to wait a week to run the next round. In reality, fantastic timing.

"We took over the point lead. I don't even know where we are but we're in the lead. If we can maintain and stay ahead of these guys for five more races. I think we have the car, I don't think, I know we have the car capable of doing it. We'll have to see what happens but we will definitely be there to force the issue.

"We have a great car. We went down the track faster than anybody; we know how to get down the track. The key is to go back, get some rest, get up in the morning and do the same exact thing that we did today."

BRINGING UP THE REAR - For the fourth time this season, Antron Brown will start on Sunday from the bottom half of the field. Brown ended qualifying in the No. 13 qualifying position on the strength of a 3.874-second run at 316.45 mph in the next-to-last session.

"They were happy today," Brown said of his crew. "An 87 in the first session today when the conditions were hot and we could have done that on our last run but we were trying to run an 84 or 85. We were on our way to that and the car was marching before it pulled (the tires) loose past half track. That's a simple fix.

"The car is back to doing what we want it to do. We're feeling confident for tomorrow. We think we have our car back now. We'll be good for tomorrow.

"The left lane has been a little better this weekend but it will be anybody's round tomorrow because both lanes will be good, especially in the first round after (NHRA) Safety Safari prepares them."

BUSINESS DECISION - Leah Pritchett and her Gumout-sponsored Dote Racing team decided to skip the final session.

“We had pretty strong sessions, getting down the track on Q-1 and Q-2, and with a solid 3.82,” Pritchett said. “We thought the car would have more but going into Q-4, and we didn’t think we’d be able to improve by much more.

“We didn’t originally plan to race this event, so sitting out the final session made the most financial sense. I didn’t see us improving on the .82, and since it was a financial stretch to run here, we are being wise on the budget.”

Pritchett hadn’t planned to run the Dallas event, but attended as a first round winner in Charlotte. Her extended race day ended in the second round to Steve Torrence and in the process revealed a mechanical gremlin.

“We had been experiencing some major piston problems,” said Pritchett. “We are still trying to diagnose the issue, and the extra time we have by sitting out the final session on Saturday. We just wanted to make a smart financial and strategic decision.”

As Pritchett adds, this is a team which never sits out sessions.

“As long as I have been here, we haven’t,” Pritchett said.

SPOILING THE DEBUT - Kebin Kinsley missed the sixteen-dragster field when Troy Buff ran a 3.965 to qualify No. 16 and bump the new Gas Monkey Garage dragster from the he field. As fate would have it, Buff was the only driver who improved in the final session.

SMOKIN’ GATOR - Terry McMillen landed in the No. 14 spot with a 3.965, 304.80 during the final session. He smoked the tires in the final qualifying session.

MISSING THE CUT - After qualifying No. 1 three times this season, Brittany Force carded her first 2014 DNQ. Force could only muster a
4.110, 242.63 best.

Prior to today, the last time Brittany didn’t qualify for a race was at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio back in July of 2013.

“We are bummed," said Brittany. "This was not the plan. Every run counts, and we need to go rounds. We are going to hold our heads up. We are No. 10 in the points right now, and we can’t go any lower. We will get ready for the next race and keep trying hard."

SHOWING OFF - Bob Vandergriff, whose sponsor C&J Energy Services is based in Dallas, gave the hometown fans a treat as he enters Sunday eliminations as the No. 3 qualifier with a 3.770 elapsed time. Teammate Larry Dixon was No. 10 with a 3.92, 296 mph.

NO SANDBAGGING HERE - Morgan Lucas would have much rather qualified better for Sunday's eliminations but the matchup could work out in Morgan Lucas Racing's favor. At the first Countdown event in Charlotte, Lucas struggled in qualifying, ending up No. 14, but then took out No. 3 qualifier and points leader Doug Kalitta

in the first round. Sunday he races No. 1 qualifier J.R. Todd, who is just ahead of Crampton in the Countdown standings in eighth place.

"We could easily say we were sand-bagging so we could race somebody up in the points, but we were not," Lucas said. "It's just the way it works out. It didn't work out great in Charlotte, and we ended up with a great first-round run, so you never know what's going to happen."

SCHUMACHER ASSUMES LEAD - Tony Schumacher began the Countdown to the Championship in fourth place in the standings.

And heading into Sunday's eliminations of the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals -- in spite of being the No. 6 qualifier (3.790, 322.11) -- he’s the points leader. That’s largely because of his victory Saturday over Khalid alBalooshi in the final round of the belated Pep Boys Carolinas Nationals that took place at the Texas Motorplex during qualifying. Schumacher, a new Austin-area resident, marked his first appearance at his new home track with his NHRA-best 75th triumph -- ironically, the one at which he scored his career-first victory 15 years ago in 1999.

Schumacher completed his steady march from 12th place to first with a 3.866-second pass at 318.77 mph on the 1,000-foot course in a wire-to-wire victory. AlBalooshi countered with a 3.903, 316.67 in the special showdown that followed qualifying for the Dallas event.

Schumacher reached the final round with a victory back in North Carolina over Bob Vandergriff last Sunday and Saturday victories over Billy Torrence and Spencer Massey as the final two Dallas qualifying sessions doubled as Charlotte elimination rounds. AlBalooshi, rising steadily himself in the Charlotte race from the No. 11 position, beat teammate Shawn Langdon last weekend, then advanced to the final round Saturday past first Morgan Lucas and then Steve Torrence.

"It couldn’t have come at a better time," Schumacher said of the Charlotte-at-Dallas victory. He called it "fantastic timing" and said he thinks his U.S. Army Dragster can go the distance. "I know we've got the car capable of doing it," he said Saturday. "We'll have to see what happens. But we'll be there to force the issue. We're not going to wait and see what happens. We're going to leave nothing on the table. If you want to win a championship anymore, as good as these cars are, you'd better leave nothing on the table, absolutely dominate."

To reinforce his point, three drivers failed to qualify, including Countdown driver Brittany Force, a three-time No. 1 qualifier this season, and six-time IHRA Top Fuel champion Clay Millican. First-time Top Fuel competitor Kebin Kinsley joined them.

While the air temperature and track temperature were hot, Schumacher said his mission is to be ice-cold.

"There's no better time to be ice-cold," he said. "I always say 'Be a machine. Be machine-like.' " He said his crew chiefs "need me to go out and do what I do so they can do what they do better than any other crew chiefs on the planet."

Schumacher was pumped up about the chance this weekend "to try to take home two trophies.” He said, “I'd like to leave, Reading, Pennsylvania, with a 140-point lead or more. I'd love that. That's be beautiful.. But nobody's stupid enough to think it's easy. We could go out tomorrow [in the Dallas eliminations] and get spanked in the first round.”

His first-round opponent Sunday will be Leah Pritchett.

Said Schumacher, "We're good in the heat, man, and it’s going to be hot tomorrow."

FUNNY CAR

ATTABOY GIRL - Courtney Force heads into Sunday's eliminations as the top seed. The incredibly hot track temperatures which reached as high as 137 degrees kept most of the Friday qualifiers in their same positions throughout the last day of qualifying.

The Dallas No. 1 qualifying effort, her fourth of the season, was attained on the strength of a 4.039 ET during Friday qualifying. The 26-year-old also posted a track record speed at 314.90 mph in her Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car.

“No matter what, it’s going to be tough tomorrow on race day. It’s hard for anyone to run out here in the heat, as you could see on that last run. We had a pretty consistent car out here this weekend. I think we pushed it a little too hard on that last run to see what it would do in the heat, but I think we’ll learn something from it for tomorrow on race day,” said Force.

The youngest Force daughter has posted top speed in eight of 17 races this season alone and could add to that number tomorrow. She will match-up against Tony Pedregon in round one. This is only the fifth time the pair have raced each other, but the third time this season. She is currently 3-1 against him. They have raced each other twice in the first round and twice in the second.

NOT A DADDY'S GIRL ON RACEDAY - Courtney lost in the first round against her father and 16-time champion John Force in Charlotte last weekend..

“The one thing I’m thinking is, ‘get me on the other side of the ladder from him," she said. "I don’t want to run him. Obviously it cost me last weekend and for me mentally, my teammates are my biggest competition right now. I would be okay if they got it, but I really want it and I don’t want to be running into them along the way. I want to take out these other guys and be facing my teammates in the final. That would be ideal, but like I said, last weekend we went up against him and that’s just not what we want. On a positive note, I think we’ve got a good car and that’s the only thing we need to focus on; our team and going after that win. We’ll worry about him when we get to him,” said Force.

HULK HAGAN WINS AN EASY ONE - Matt Hagan knew something was wrong when John Force leapt out of the gate so quickly in the finals of the postponed NHRA Carolina Nationals.

"(Force) was so, so early. I was either dead late or he was really early," said Hagan, who won his second title of the season. "I feel pretty confident in my lights out there so I didn't think I was late, I just thought he was early.

"John is a great racer and I'm glad we have a little rivalry. We need that out here in our sport. We can't be all kissy-kissy. He's the man to beat and he's proven it all year long. They've been very dominant but with this Countdown it gives us another shot to come out here and take over."

Force might have been on overload in the finals.

“This was driver error!" Force said. "My race car out ran him; it whipped him unless he (Matt Hagan) lifted early, but they said he was right down there with me. I got jacked-up, I heard them yelling ‘They’re running Pro Stock’, I knew I was late, I changed my routine, I know better than to change my routine! I’m so furious at myself; you don’t change your routine, and yet I changed it and I screwed up all the work we did. We’re going to try to win this race, we’re going to try to win this championship, and you don’t to it by making those kinds of mistakes. I’m embarrassed."

With the win, Hagan moves from fifth to third in points, only 11 behind Robert Hight who is second in the standings.

FYI ... ABOUT QUALIFYING - Hagan also qualified No. 6 for Sunday's eliminations and will race Bob Tasca in the opening round on Sunday.

"It really does excite me that the car is coming around," said Hagan. "We are qualifying well. That's the biggest thing out here with the Countdown. You have to set yourself up for the first round match-up and have a good opportunity to go down the racetrack and win. These first round losses will eat you up out here.

"You only have six races to make that happen. Our game plan, if we can pull down a couple wins in this thing and go to a couple semifinals and eliminate first round losses I think things can really swing our way.

"We just have a phenomenal race car in this heat, and that will transfer into tomorrow," he said. "It feels good. We have momentum now. These guys have a lot of work to do, but we will be ready to go four rounds again tomorrow."

Hagan ran his best run, a 4.083, 312.35, during Friday's Q-2 session.

NO BURNOUT, NO RUN - Alexis DeJoria was backed off after the burnout during the Q-3 session.

“It was really strange, I did my burnout and I stepped on the throttle and it was as if the tires didn’t even get a full revolution,” DeJoria said. “Then it seemed more like a dry hop. So we shut it off.”

The team returned to the pits where they hooked up the computer and diagnosed the issue.

“The ignition system cut out for a second,” DeJoria said. “Then it came back on. The MSD box is shot, all of the timers were knocked off. It shut off and turned back on, and at that point it becomes an unsafe run. We wanted to be more safe than sorry.”

DeJoria said the team changed the entire ignition system for Q-4.

DeJoria failed to improve in the final session, resting on the strength of Friday’s 4.041, 305.42

IT'S BECKMAN VERSUS HIGHT - Jack Beckman will start eliminations seeded eighth and will face Robert Hight, who is second in points, in the opening round. Beckman ran a best 4.087, 312.35 during Friday's evening session.

NOT HIS KIND OF WEEKEND - There have been easier days in the office for Tim Wilkerson. As Wilkerson so eloquently put it, he was having "a devil of a time" with his Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang Funny Car.

Wilkerson struggled through the first three qualifying sessions, and also lost in the second round of the delayed NHRA Pep Boys Carolina Nationals from Charlotte. Additionally, he got bumped out prior to his Q-4 session.

"We're the ones who put ourselves in that position, and the car was driving me a little nuts," Wilkerson said. "You know, we ran a 4.11 yesterday but that was a hundredth too slow to make the top 12. Today, I was just hoping to run something in the 4.20 range, but in Q3 we had the extra challenge of trying win a round. I was trying to run a 4.12 to 4.15, but didn't pull it back enough and we smoked the tires and painted ourselves into a corner.

"I had the data to give me an idea of how to make it go to the other end, but when you're already bumped out of the field you start to worry about mechanical gremlins or other bad luck happening to you. Fortunately it went right down there. That's taking it right to the wire, and that's completely opposite of what I wanted to do here. Now maybe we can make the most of it on Sunday."

Wilkerson races Ron Capps in Sunday's first round.

HEAD GAMES - Chad Head qualified No. 7 and will match-up with fellow Toyota driver Del Worsham, who placed 10th. Head qualified with a 4.084, 309.06. Ironically, the raced one another in Saturday's Q-4 session with Head winning a dual tire smoker.

PRO STOCK

BROTHER ACT, SCENE ONE - Shane Gray retained the No. 1 qualifying position with his run of 6.566 at 210.08 in his Gray Manufacturing Chevy Camaro during the third qualifying session. This is his fourth No. 1 qualifying position of the year and his first since Sonoma. He will race John Gaydosh in the opener.

“We had a great day and the weather dried out this morning and what a run it made, we didn’t think it would pick up that much for sure,” Gray said. “Tomorrow is a new day and we will try to go out and put on a good show for the fans. Going to go out and have a fun day of racing tomorrow and be proud of the outcome of it.”

BROTHER ACT, SCENE TWO - The Gray family success continued during the postponed Charlotte event. Jonathan Gray recorded his first career win in his third career final. Gray defeated series points leader Jason Line with a performance of 6.589 at 209.10 in his Gray Manufacturing Chevy Camaro.

“It’s huge, it is big for all the guys back at the shop and all the guys at Gray Motorsports,” Gray said. “They are doing a phenomenal job, all the guys in the engine shop. I’ve got a really good group of guys. I’ve got to thank my wife and kids for their support and my mom and dad for being so supportive. I can’t say enough and such a good deal.”

YOU AGAIN? - Last Sunday, they battled through a slippery slope first round battle and for the second time in a row. And for the second time in a row Jeggie Coughlin and Greg Anderson opened eliminations.
 
"We've battled many times with Greg and we've certainly had some fun through the years," Coughlin said. "He's a familiar foe and a great racer who definitely keeps you on your toes. He's won a bunch of trophies and four championships, so we expect another tough race. I wouldn't want it any other way.
 
Coughlin earned lane choice over Anderson posting a best of 6.596 seconds at 209.59 mph in qualifying under the Friday night lights. Anderson was just a tick back with a 6.597 at 210.31 mph.

BIGGER IS BETTER - Shane Tucker is Australian and he's already learning the American culture, and the belief everything is bigger in Texas. In his case, bigger was better.
 
"We ran a bigger set of tires today," Tucker said. "Most of the teams run a smaller tire through qualifying because they're a little bit quicker and help you put a better elapsed time on the scoreboards, but we made the call to run a big-tire setup because that's what we're going to be running tomorrow.
 
"Sure, we might have given up a little bit in the qualifying order, but as far as the setup for Sunday, I think we're in a good position. I'm thinking we've put ourselves in a good position to race well in this heat and humidity."
 
Tucker races Dave Connolly, who beat him in the postponed elimination rounds from the Charlotte race on Friday.
 
"As it turned out, the first session, we kind of missed it a little bit on the setup," Tucker said. "The second session, when we raced Dave for the Charlotte race, we blew through the clutch. (The clutch) wasn't dead square, so it needed resurfacing. We pulled that clutch out and put a new one in for today.
 
"We figured we'd turn the car around completely. We had our issues but we immediately fixed everything. We sent the shocks back to Penske and put another set of tires on it. We've kind of been questioning the tires we were running all year, and we made a change that really seems to be working."

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

EDDIE THROWS DOWN - Eddie was cruising on Saturday.

Newly christened point leader Eddie Krawiec, who also won the delayed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals, powered to his seventh No. 1 qualifying position of the season and the 21st of his career with a run of 6.841 at 194.83 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. He will face Freddie Camarena in the first round of eliminations.
 
"One of the hard things is trying to keep up on your clutch program. You have to keep up on the track with the weather changes. As a rider, you need to stay on your game," said Krawiec. "All these guys make fun of me at the shop because I have this pile of hats you get for being No. 1 qualifier, and they say, ‘He’s a hoarder! He’s a hat hoarder! That just shows you how good our team is and how consistent we are.”

The Charlotte victory was the third consecutive national event triumph for Krawiec.

Krawiec beat Steve Johson to score his 26th career win by posting a performance of 6.888 at 193.49, to hold off Johnson’s Suzuki, which finished in 6.917 at 193.29.

“You want to do well at every race you go to and you want to be prepared,” Krawiec said. “The key for us I think was rolling off the truck with great momentum, and making good runs down the track. That is what I have done with my Harley the last couple of laps and making good clean straight runs . Work on your setup and tweak away at it. I think I’ve got an awesome motorcycle and it has been great to do. I’m excited.”

ARANA BUMPED DOWN -  After vaulting to the top of Friday Dallas qualifying, Hector Arana Jr. fell to No. 2, largely for changing his style of racing in an attempt to win the postponed Charlotte event, which ran simultaneously with Dallas qualifying.
 
"Well, we were racing Charlotte at Dallas, and I really don't like doing that," Arana said. "I like my qualifying sessions. Qualifying allows me to really push the light. I'm able to see where I am because every track is a little different and I like to push it. Because we were racing right away, I didn't want to just go after it and red-light. I didn't know what my limitations were. That kind of bit me in the butt, being afraid of red-lighting, and I lost the round."
 
"You know what though, everybody had to do the same thing. We went past the first round, so all we have to do is leave that behind us now, stay focused, look forward, and do well at this race."

In the end, Arana came up short in both races.
 
"We kind of gathered ourselves back together after the Q3 loss," Arana said. "I went for it at the tree in Q4 and had a pretty good light. We made a nice pass down the track to grab top speed of the meet, and a low 6.880 makes it the second-best e.t. for the session.
 
"We definitely have something to work off of, and I think we'll have a good race bike tomorrow."

CHARLOTTE RUNOFFS COMPLETE - The Pro Stock Motorcycle class began its delayed Charlotte eliminations Friday, used the final two Dallas qualifying sessions as the quarterfinal and semifinals of the Charlotte race, and crowned a winner following Dallas qualifying.

Round 2 winners were Andrew Hines, Chaz Kennedy, Steve Johnson, and Eddie Krawiec. In the semifinals, Johnson's Suzuki broke on the starting line and he coasted about 150 feet – but what saved him was Kennedy's red light. Krawiec overtook his teammate and won by about four feet to set up a showdown against Johnson.

Johnson didn’t get any extra luck or a freebie in the final round, as Krawiec won with a 6.888-second, 193.49-mph pass to Johnson's 6.917, 193.29. The victory was Krawiec's fourth this season, third straight, and 26th overall. It was the fifth in a row for the Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson team.

 

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - THE FIRST DAY OF THE TWO A DAY EVENT

THE GAME PLAN - The first two qualifying sessions at the Motorplex will be like any other Friday, but that changes Saturday when the third and fourth qualifying sessions also will be the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, for rain-delayed elimination rounds from Charlotte. The Charlotte finalists will compete in a third run to determine the winners of the opening event of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship but will not count toward NHRA Fallnationals qualifying.          

TOP FUEL

JR IS TOPS AGAIN - Robert Hight is the only driver to enter the Countdown as the No. 10 seed and walk away with the championship. JR Todd is making his case to be the second. If Friday’s track record 3.761 at 317.87 holds through Saturday’s two sessions, he will have paced both events in qualifying.

“With the Countdown, it takes getting hot at the right time,” said Todd. “Qualifying here … it’s good to get qualifying out of the way, get locked into the field because you don’t want to have to worry about qualifying while you’re racing. It’s going to be a busy weekend with two races in one.”

Todd still remains in Charlotte competition and will race the quarterfinals Saturday afternoon.

“My mindset was to get qualifying out of the way, but you never know what Connie’s [Kalitta] is. We were aggressive in Q-1 and Q-2. I expected some cars to run better than we did. You can never count out Connie, James and the guys. The come loaded for bear when the conditions call for it.”

UNDETERRED - Antron Brown, for the second consecutive season, heads into Texas playing from behind.

Brown lost to teammate Spencer Massey in the first round of the delayed NHRA Carolina Nationals. There's a silver lining to what could be an overwise dark cloud, however.

"We definitely can say we're off to a better start in the Countdown than we were last year when we got to the Motorplex," Brown said. "We're going to Dallas with five races left in the Countdown and we'll be ready." Brown said his team is in the mindset to make up for lost time. "We're motivated and hungry right now - we're starving right now," Brown concluded.

HOMEBOY - Spencer Massey is one of eight Top Fuel racers still in eliminations for the conclusion of the NHRA Carolina Nationals. His track record at the Texas Motorplex bodes well for Massey's run at a weekend double-up.

Massey has two runner-up finishes at the facility located outside of Dallas.

"I've never won a Top Fuel race at home in Dallas, but now I have two chances," Spencer said. "It's unfortunate we couldn't get the event in at Charlotte. Now we have double the pressure at the Motorplex.

"It's the Countdown. Every run counts. It's tough. We've been struggling, but our performance in Charlotte gives us confidence. We qualified well, made a good lap in the first round, and now we have to try to continue that this weekend."

LOOKING TO BREAK THE CYCLE - The Texas Motorplex near Dallas is one of just four racetracks on which the Al-Anabi Racing Team has never won

“Last year, we accomplished a lot in the last five races of the season, and I know the Al-Anabi team can do the same this year," said Shawn Langdon, who lost in the first round last weekend. "If you look back at what this team has done in the past, when you really get down to it, this team knows how to handle pressure and perform when it counts. The Al-Anabi team has done it in the past, and they can do it again. We just have to look forward, keep our heads up, keep working hard and keep doing the best we can."

LENDING A HELPING HAND - Dallas wasn't originally on Morgan Lucas' part-time schedule.

With the postponed event in Charlotte, first round winner Lucas gets two chances to win and block for teammate Richie Crampton. Lucas also eliminated Doug Kalitta in the first round in Charlotte.

"I love the state, I love everything about Texas," Lucas said. "It's a long trip and there's a lot of extra miles and extra work for the guys. I hate putting people in situations they weren't planning on being in, but that's the nature of the sport, and our guys will suck it up and move on."

FATHER KNOWS BEST - Billy Torrence has two objectives for the rest of this season.

He wants to win, and in doing so ensure his son and teammate Steve Torrence has the best opportunity to win the series championship. Billy won the first round of the postponed Charlotte event and races Tony Schumacher in Saturday's completion of the event. If he can beat Schumacher, he opens the door for Steve to move into second place in the championship point standings. A win on Sunday doesn't rule out the possibility Torrence could claim the point lead.

“I’m just out here to help Steve so hopefully we can do some good for him this week,” he said. That could turn out to be the ultimate in the world of understatement.

NEW HOME, SAME OLD GOALS - Tony Schumacher is now a Texan. Two months ago, the multi-time NHRA champion relocated his family from Chicago to Austin. Technically, this makes this weekend's Texas Motorplex, a home race.

Schumacher has a Texas-sized challenge this weekend.

“It’s absolutely great here," said Schumacher. "We love it. I’ve just had a smile on my face these last two months. It’s a fantastic place. You know, I’m about as far from being a Texas native as you can be, considering I was born and raised in Chicago. So I’ve just been trying to fit in around here. The people here are very, very kind. I love this town. Austin is fantastic. And, one of the best parts of all, I get to call the Texas Motorplex my new home track. Let’s see if we can light it up this weekend.”

Lighting up the scoreboard would bode well for Schumacher.

Point leader Doug Kalitta, teammate Antron Brown and defending series champion Shawn Langdon, top five seeds headed into the playoffs, were all eliminated in the first round of the Charlotte race. Schumacher can move solidly into the thick of a points battle which is expected to go down to the wire.  
 
Schumacher is currently second in the standings, 33 points behind Kalitta.

“It’s going to be fine," said Schumacher. "It is what it is. It was a good call to postpone the rest of the Charlotte program and move it to Texas this weekend. We had to do what we had to do."

Schumacher believes running qualifying and elimination rounds simultaneously creates a challenge for the drivers.

"When I’m out there Saturday trying to win rounds for Charlotte, I’m also trying to score maximum qualifying points for Sunday at Texas," Schumacher said. "With as close and competitive our series is right now, each and every one of those possible three points, two points or one point for low ETs (elapsed time) during qualifying runs are going to be important. Hopefully, we’ll be able to go out on Saturday and win our races and get low ET for the sessions. Bottom line, we’re going to do what we need to do. I think we’re exactly in the spot we want to be, and I think everyone in the world would say the same thing – we have the car to watch out for. This U.S. Army team is a right-time, right-place team.”

Schumacher has five Texas Motorplex victories in six final rounds.

FUNNY CAR

BABY GIRL HOLDS THE LEAD - Courtney Force rebounded from an early Charlotte departure to vault into the early qualifying lead at the Texas Motorplex. The youngest of the Force racing clan thundered to a track record 4.039 elapsed time at 314.90 miles per hour.

“We’ve gotten things pulled together since last weekend,” said Force. “I took last weekend as a positive. We lost in the first round with the quickest run we had all weekend. I knew coming in here I had confidence, but to run a number like that already signals a good weekend and we still have tomorrow to go.”

Ms. Force sees being able to concentrate on Dallas as an advantage for her team.

“People might be more focused on staging and getting the win-light,” she said. “That might not make it where their focus is on taking my No. 1 spot away. I don’t know if this is luck or what, but I know I won’t have to worry about it tomorrow.”

SECOND CHANCE FOR DOUBLE-UP - For the second time this season, Ron Capps gets to run two races in one weekend.

The last time, three weekends ago in Indianapolis, the NAPA Auto Parts driver left with at least one trophy. Capps was one of those eight drivers who advanced past the first round in Charlotte.

"That would be a great way to start the Countdown by winning the first two trophies and doing it on the same weekend might be something no else ever does," Capps said. "But it's like Don (Schumacher) says: You have to qualify first and then take it one round at a time.”

THIS IS NOW - Robert Hight ran like gangbusters to open the 2014 season. The past NHRA Funny Car champion won five times and led the points for an impressive 13-race stretch, the most in his career.

Now it's playoff time, and the early season accolades are history.

“We had a great regular season, but the key is to be leading the points after the last race of the season,” Hight said. “It is a whole new ballgame now. The first 18 races are in the past. If you want a championship you better be on top of your game. Winning in the Countdown is what it is all about.”

Hight was one of eight Funny car racers who won first round in Charlotte. Knowing how important momentum is, Hight hopes to grab a double up victory if only to gain momentum.

“With four races in a row getting a good start is important,” said Hight, who races Jeff Arend in Saturday's Charlotte eliminations. “You want to build momentum and not fall behind. You better not waste any round wins.”

SHOWING APPRECIATION - Matt Hagan is a farmer outside of his Funny Car cockpit. He understands the importance of a good truck, and beyond this, he understands the value of a good truck driver.

Hagan is using his role as a racer to thank truck drivers during the National Truck Driver Appreciation week.

Additionally Hagan is piloting the Freightliner Trucks Funny Car this weekend with the names of more than 100 truck drivers adorning the matte-black body.

"Personally, having Freightliner on board especially during Trucker Appreciation week is huge," Hagan said. "I'm a farmer and rely on truck drivers to transport the cattle I buy and sell, the feed, the supplies, everything.

"I truly appreciate the men and women who make their living out on the road and I hope to put this Freightliner Funny Car in the winner's circle for all of them. There isn't a better banner to fly than Freightliner when it comes to trucking."

MEMORY LANE - The last time Bob Tasca III won an NHRA event was in September 2012.

This weekend he has two chances to grab what has been an elusive victory. Last weekend he beat Cruz Pedregon in the first round. Tasca will face Ron Capps in round two of the Charlotte race during the third qualifying session in Dallas on Saturday.

“I’ve already won in Dallas, and it would be awesome to pick up two more in Dallas,” Tasca said. “Dallas has become extra exciting now because we’re still in the competition from Charlotte, and I’ve got a car we’re really happy with from that last run. It showed promise. I really feel that we’ve got a legitimate shot at picking up some trophies in Texas.”

IT ALL STARTED HERE - Tommy Johnson Jr. has raced everything from Super Gas to Top Alcohol Funny Car to Top Fuel at the Texas Motorplex In fact, the Motorplex was where Johnson first licensed in Top Fuel. It was 1989, the day after completion of the national event.

"It was my first-ever nitro pass," recalled Johnson. "I remember that run vividly. Obviously, it was a lot faster than I was used to – and it felt like a considerable difference to the alcohol cars. We ran it just past the 1,000 foot mark and shut it off, and the initial hit of the throttle was a little different, but I really remember the continuous pull in the Top Fuel car. It plants you in the seat and holds you there. It was something."
 
Johnson has won ten nitro races, most recently claiming the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals [Bristol, Tenn.] back in June.
 
"It's been awhile since we've been in the winner's circle," said Johnson. "I'd sure like to get back there this weekend.”

WORSHAM SET FOR 500th START – Del Worsham is making his 500th career NHRA start this weekend in his DHL Toyota Camry . He has advanced to 52 final rounds, with 33 victories, 25 of those coming in Funny Car and eight in Top Fuel. Worsham won the 2011 Top Fuel championship and has five top-four overall finishes in Funny Car, including a runner-up showing in 2004.

PULLING NO PUNCHES - John Force advanced to the quarterfinal last weekend. The victory came at the expense of taking out daughter Courtney in the opening round.   

“That was a tough way to start the Countdown racing Courtney last weekend," Force said. "We all want to win but it all comes down to luck and timing when it comes to qualifying. Luckily for us, Robert and I are on opposite sides of the ladder so we could meet in the final when NHRA runs the Carolina Nationals eliminations this weekend."

Force knows how important doing well in the Countdown is, especially to his many sponsors.  

“It’s all about the Countdown, and I need a championship as much as the other competitors out there," said Force. "All my drivers' sponsors, like Castrol, Auto Club, Traxxas, Peak, all of them, they pay us to win. My focus is going to be dead on. But always remember this - I won from the cellar going into the Countdown and so has Robert."

PRO STOCK

GRAY CONTINUES MOMENTUM - Shane Gray jumped out to the lead during first day qualifying with a 6.577 elapsed time at 209.88 miles per hour. Just .005 behind was point leader Jason Line.

“Someone could come out of here with a tremendous point lead,” said Gray, who is still in competition from the postponed Charlotte event.

“We wanted to go out there today, make a few runs and see what would happen. I wouldn’t say we were swinging for the fences today and we made a nice smooth run. It was so smooth, it actually felt a bit slow.”

Gray will meet Erica Enders-Stevens in the Charlotte round two on Saturday. His quicker run in today’s Q-1 session enabled him to gain lane choice.

“It’s a drag race, we will see who gets to the other end first,” Gray concluded.

ERICA WINS, LOSES … ENGINE - Erica Enders-Stevens scored an easy first round win over John Gaydosh, but in the process wounded her race engine.

“We hurt the engine at 1,000 feet,” Enders-Stevens said. “We were lucky to get that win. We were lucky it broke where it did or we would have been done. We have plenty under the bench, so we’ll change it and be ready for Saturday.”

In racing Gray, she’s not worried about a lack of horsepower.

“The back-up motor is actually stronger than No. 1,” she admitted. “All of our engines are within a few hundredths, some are just a tick better.”

WANTS TO MAKE HISTORY - No woman has won in Pro Stock at the Texas Motorplex. Erica wants to be the first.

"It'd be really neat to win," Enders-Stevens said. "I make it known everywhere I go how much I love Texas, and to be back in my home state on front of friends and family is very exciting.

"I remember racing A.J. (Allen Johnson) in the final in 2012, and we had an electrical issue. My car shut off when I let the clutch out, so I didn't even have a chance.

"But it'd be cool to win here. I really want to get that cowboy hat."

STEVENS SITTING OUT - Richie Stevens listed this weekend's Dallas event as one he would run as part of his limited schedule during the NHRA Countdown. When a decision had to be made; run Dallas or St. Louis -- he chose the latter.

"We were kind of up in the air between St. Louis or Dallas, and for us, St. Louis was the decision we made," said Stevens. "St. Louis and Reading will probably be my last two unless we can sign additional funding."

Stevens said he chose St. Louis because of sponsorship considerations with longtime marketing partner Mark Eckman of St. Louis-based Car Safe, plus it's his birthday weekend.

Stevens, who turns 36 next Saturday, said he has a fondness for Gateway Motorsports Park, where he first tested his present Pro Stock car.

"I really wanted to come but I am so far behind on my work here," said Stevens, who owns a salvage yard in Louisiana. "I need to get ahead here since I am going to be away for two weeks.”

ABOUT LAST WEEK  - Larry Morgan was in the zMax Dragway staging lanes when NHRA officials postponed the balance of the event after the crash by Vieri Gaines.

Morgan was philosophical about the decision.

"I hate it for (track owner) Bruton (Smith)," Morgan said. "He gives us a good place to race, and it just wasn't good last weekend. To be honest with you, whatever NHRA decides to do I'm sure is for our best interest. What can we say?

"There's not one person that went to Charlotte and didn't want to race. It is what it is. It's unfortunate we couldn't finish it there but all we can do is press on. We'll do what we have got to do to go to the next race."

Morgan lost in the first round to Vincent Nobile.

ACE IN THE HOLE - Rodger Brogdon has returned to Elite Performance horsepower for this weekend. Unfortunately for him, he fell short in beating Jonathan Gray during Friday’s competition of the Charlotte first round

SEPARATE WAYS - Brogdon and partner Steve Kent have parted ways on the Pro Stock operation. Kent will continue to race his sportsman race cars in Comp and Super Stock.

TEXAS TWO-STEP - Jeggie Coughlin's sportsman racing experience will come in handy this weekend. The 58-time Pro Stock winner has extensive experience at racing multiple categories during an event.

"Fortunately, I've competed in so many bracket and Sportsman races over the years and it's not unusual for me to make 18-20 runs in two days time, and all the rounds in bracket races are brutally hard," explained Coughlin. "I feel like I'm as prepared for this weekend as possible."

Coughlin understands the ability to pull off two races in one weekend is largely aided by a consistent crew.

"It's times like these when you're extra thankful for having an experienced crew, both back at the J&J Racing engine shop and at the track," Coughlin said. "This team has won the last two Pro Stock championships, one with Allen (Johnson, teammate) and one over here on the JEGS side of the pit, so they won't be rattled."

COMPLETING CHARLOTTE - Jonathan Gray [Rodger Brogdon], Dave Connolly [Shane Tucker], Vincent Nobile [Larry Morgan] and Erica Enders-Stevens [John Gaydosh] rounded out the first round from the NHRA Pep Boys Carolina Nationals.

GAINES RETURNS - V. Gaines returned to competition just five days after destroying his Dodge Dart in a crash during the NHRA Pep Boys Carolina Nationals. Gaines was for the most part uninjured but did show up in Texas with a brace on his wrist, and a sore tailbone and a “chipped” tongue.

Gaines missed the Friday provisional cut with a 6.635, 208.97 best in his replacement Dodge Avenger. The accident was Gaines second in 15 years, the last time came when he “visited both walls” after dealing with temperamental carbon fiber brakes.

“I didn’t go upside down, and that says a lot,” Gaines said. “Upside down is a new experience.That was my first time upside down in over 400 races.”

NOT IN - Joining Gaines on the outside was Matt Hartford, Shane Tucker, John Gaydosh and Larry Morgan.

HELPING HAND - Baltimore, Maryland’s John Gaydosh made the 16-car field in Charlotte, and when the race was moved to Dallas, he wasn’t planning to come to the Texas Motorplex. Drag racing sponsor Terry Chandler stepped up with sponsorship to ensure the lower budgeted racer could make the first round call against Erica Enders-Stevens.

Gaydosh has a three-race sponsorship from Gray Motorsports and will run horsepower from the team for the balance of the season.

“The engine we are running has about 100 more horsepower than we are used to,” said Gaydosh. “This is the greatest family I have ever worked with, and the easiest to get along with. They are some of the most dedicated racers I’ve ever seen in my life.”

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

WILD RIDE TO THE TOP - Hector Arana Jr. killed two birds with one stone during Friday’s qualifying. During the first session, Arana Jr. ran 6.855 seconds at 194.63 miles per hour to claim the top spot in the provisional twelve field. Arana defeated Shawn Gann in the first round, and experienced severe bike wobble following a 6.943 elapsed time.

“I actually got lucky on that run,” said Arana. “I tried to shift into third and it wouldn’t shift. It got up on the rev-limiter and almost aborted the run. Thank God it went into next gear and went well.” The Lucas Oil-sponsored bike bounced around significantly. “It was a wild ride,” said Arana. “I hit some bumps and it was scary. But I made it down.”

FIRST ROUND WINNERS FROM CHARLOTTE - Eddie Krawiec [Pretzel], Scotty Pollacheck [Underdahl], Chaz Kennedy [Adam Arana], Angie Smith [John Hall], Steve Johnson [Michael Ray], Hector Arana Jr. [Shawn Gann], Andrew Hines [Jerry Savoie] and Matt Smith [Hector Arana Sr.].

QUICK LADIES - The reaction times were stellar for the female riders in the final session. Angelle Sampey-Drago, who has been on the sidelines for the past few seasons, showed no rust as she reeled off a .000 reaction time. Angie Smith was also in the double-ohs with a .008 to beat John Hall during the completion of the Charlotte first round

ANGELLE IS BACK - Angelle missed Friday’s provisional 12 after running a best 7.025 elapsed time.

ON THE OUTSIDE - Joining Angelle on the outside was Jerry Savoie, Shawn Gann, Freddie Camarena, Michael Ray, Mike Berry, Redell Harris and David Barron.

ONE ROUND DOWN, THREE TO GO - When the Pro Stock Motorcycle class takes to the track Saturday, it – like the other pro classes - will be closing the books on the ill-fated Pep Boys Carolinas Nationals.

Matt Smith Racing will have three bikes still in the hunt for the Charlotte trophy and the Harley-Davidsons have both entries in the mix.

Matt Smith will race Andrew Hines, and Scotty Pollacheck will meet Eddie Krawiec in the Harley-MSR showdowns. Angie Smith will battle Steve Johnson. In the other pairing, Chaz Kennedy will line up against Hector Arana Jr.

Round 1 of the pairings from Charlotte’s zMAX Dragway saw two no-shows (Jim Underdahl and Brian Pretzel) that gave freebie passes to Pollacheck andKrawiec. Angie Smith eliminated teammate John Hall. Only one of three Arana teammates advanced, as Hector Arana Jr. beat Shawn Gann but Hector Arana Sr. lost to Matt Smith and Adam Arana lost to Kennedy. Hines knocked off Jerry Savoie ,and Johnson defeated Michael Ray.

The final three rounds will be absorbed into the Dallas qualifying sessions Saturday. The quarterfinals and semifinals will occur during the regularly scheduled sessions. The final round will be a third and separate run that does not count toward Dallas qualifying.