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

SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - TEAMS HIT JACKPOT ON SUNDAY IN VEGAS

No one could blame Allen Johnson for not wanting to leave Las Vegas.

Johnson, the reigning NHRA Pro Stock world champion, hit the jackpot at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

On Saturday, Johnson took home a $50,000 paycheck for winning the K&N Horsepower Challenge and Sunday he won the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals.

“We have come to love this place,” said Johnson, who also collected a $25,000 check for sweeping the two Vegas races. “It seems like our stuff really likes altitude tracks. We brought out this new Mopar Express Lane Dodge Avenger at this event. It has a brand new chassis with only 10 runs on it. Hat’s off to my guys for pulling that trick off. This weekend ranks right up there with winning the championship and it ranks up there with winning Denver at your sponsor (Mopar’s) race four out of the last five years.”

Johnson claimed his 18th national event win and second in a row as he also won the Gatornationals March 17 in Gainesville, Fla.

For the second time in as many days, Johnson beat Erica Enders-Stevens in the final round.

“The biggest factor in my win (Saturday) was lane choice,” Johnson said. “We maintained lane choice. Having lane choice really paid dividends.”

On Sunday, Johnson beat J.R. Carr and his teammates Vincent Nobile and Jeg Coughlin before defeating Enders-Stevens.

“I say I hired the best two in the business (Nobile) and (Coughlin), my assassins. They are using my power, my crew chiefs and all of our decisions and they make me rise to the occasion as a driver. I can’t say anything bad about racing them. With Erica, she is a great driver and she has come into her own. She makes me rise to the occasion to. I always wish her the best.”

Johnson was especially happy to hit such a big payday in Vegas.

“It cost a lot of money to race Pro Stock, probably as much as it does to race the fuel classes because we have to R&D so many things with the engines,” Johnson said. “Their expense comes from blowing everything up. Any time you can infuse a little extra into the budget deficit it helps.”

WINNING ON RACEDAY - Translating qualifying performances to race day has been a real problem for Cruz Pedregon this season.

Until Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he had yet to see the winner's circle in 2013 despite strong qualifying efforts.

Pedregron’s consistent Snap-on Tools car raced to a victory at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, beating Courtney Force in the final round.

“We do think about that and I get tired of answering questions ‘hey what are you going to do on Sunday,’’’ Pedregon said. “I felt like saying ‘what do you think I’m going to do on Sunday?’ I think for us we had to pull back a little bit. What you saw (Sunday) was more refined. Let’s not get crazy out here, let’s just race the track and it worked. Even though I love the big numbers and setting low ET and all that kind of stuff, sometimes you just have to take what you can get.”

Pedregon clocked a 4.173-second run at 298.40 mph to defeat Force, who slowed to 5.244 seconds after smoking the tires at 300 feet.

“I have won a lot of races a lot of different ways, but I would say this car, the consistency impressed me and the quick turnaround time by my team,” Pedregon said. “The turnaround time was based on the TV window here, so it was pretty challenging. I was joking to someone earlier no sooner I got my finger off the mouse for the computer I had to put my helmet on.”

Pedregon, who won world titles in 2008 and 1992, captured his 31st national event victory.

Defeating Force in the final was the last thing on Pedregon’s mind when his Funny Car would not go in reverse after his burnout.

“The fact the NHRA staff had the wherewithal to see me motion to push that car back and save the run because we didn’t hold up Courtney,” Pedregon said. “That was important to me because if I would have seen her with the top light I probably would have just shut it off because I didn’t want to spoil her day either. Great opponent there, she definitely had me nervous. We were trying to run a 10 or 12 and it actually was on its way, but it dropped a cylinder out toward the middle of the track and slowed down.”

As Pedregon was sitting in his Funny Car after his burnout, he was trying to keep his composure.

“I was thinking about Richard Pryor when he said ‘be cool. Be cool. Be cool,’’’ Pedregon said stealing a line from the late great comedian. “I was a nervous wreck. I started thinking what a way to lose a race. Then, I’m thinking should I pull over so Courtney doesn’t run me over. I was thinking all these things and then I’m thinking these guys are backing this car kind of fast. We might be able to make it after all. It kind of worked out. I didn’t want to hold her up. When I race Courtney I’m thinking of John (Force) and Force doesn’t take no stuff and he will come over and smack me around a little bit. Even though we are racing a 20-something year-old girl, I’m thinking about her dad that’s a little bit of a nut job, in a good way. Even though we race against each other, there is nobody who respects John Force more than I do and you can take that to the bank.”

Pedregon didn’t know what went wrong after his car’s burnout, but he did take time to speculate.

“Until we go back and review the run I do not really know, but I can speculate I think the clutch clearances were a little too tight,” Pedregon said. “That was based on being in a hurry. I would say my guys are very thorough, but those are the things we have to work on as a team because the quick turnaround time. They answered the bell every run, but there are little things we can clean up in our pit area and we will.”

Pedregon also took a moment to praise his team. Pedregon parted ways with his crew chief Lee Beard on Nov. 26. Beard was Pedregon’s crew chief last season.

“I’m proud of what we did,” Pedregon said. “Forget who is tuning it and forget who is driving it and forget who is working on it. This is an impressive win for us. It means a lot. It has been a long offseason. I smacked the wall and ruined the body there at Phoenix (earlier in the season) and budget-wise I needed the money, ‘what can I say?’ A crew chief? I can’t afford one. If I want to race you either make do with what you have or you do not race and I’m thinking I want to race. I have learned from a lot of great crew chiefs and I’m not taking that lightly. I have learned from the best guys and I have had plenty to choose from. It is a lot of work, but really I do not know if there is a guy I would pick over me to be honest with you.”

Pedregon defeated Gary Densham, Johnny Gray, and Alexis DeJoria before ousting Force in the finals.

GETTING NO. 201 - Entering the SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Tony Schumacher trailed Antron Brown in the NHRA Top Fuel standings by a mere four points.
 
Each had won a race, Schumacher at Phoenix and Brown the following outing, at Gainesville, Fla. But Schumacher had wanted that Gatornationals victory for himself -- he wanted to be the one doubling with Funny Car's Johnny Gray to give Don Schumacher Racing its 200th victory.

Each had won a race, Schumacher at Phoenix and Brown the following outing, at Gainesville, Fla. But Schumacher had wanted that Gatornationals victory for himself -- he wanted to be the one doubling with Funny Car's Johnny Gray to give Don Schumacher Racing its 200th victory.

"Antron Brown wins my dad's 200th race win. Well, that pisses me off," Schumacher said jokingly.

Schumacher wanted to earn back-to-back victories at Gainesville. He wanted to be the points leader.

That 200th victory is in the books, but Schumacher got some satisfaction by beating Brown in the final round Sunday to take the points lead as the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour heads to Concord, N.C., for the April 19-21 Dollar General Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

Schumacher won with a 3.851-second elapsed time at 323.27 mph in the U.S. Army Dragster. Brown countered with a 3.956, 299.60 in the Matco Tools entry.

In recording his 71st victory, Schumacher denied No. 1 qualifier Brown consecutive victories and became the first repeat winner in the Top Fuel class.

Best of all, he did it on crew chief Mike Green's birthday -- although Green never happened to mention it until just before the semifinal round.

"It's gratifying to win. It's one of those special things," Schumacher said.

Referring to Green and the crew he leads at the Brownsburg, Ind.-headquartered race shop, he said, "Those guys -- It's almost cliché to talk about how hard they work. I don't think people understand how hard they work. I don't think the majority of the world can possibly comprehend how much it means to the driver how hard they work back at the shop day in and day out, not for the money but for the love of this game and for my sake. To give back . . .

"I didn't drive amazing today. I didn't have stellar lights. It isn't like I did anything supernatural," the No. 3 qualifier said. "It's those guys."

Schumacher said, "Every now and then a drivers wins a race. But the majority of the time it's the hard work, the dedication, the parts, pieces, the development."

For example, he said, his Army Dragster "was designed in an engineering room by people, by human beings, guys like Mike Green, who go, 'If we change this . . . ' or 'If we do this . . . ' There's not a part or piece on that car that wasn't specifically positioned at an angle for a reason -- because of smart people. I just get to drive it, get to stand up here and talk about cool things. Those guys, they earn their paychecks and a lot more."

Schumacher, who has two victories and runner-up finish along with a top-qualifying position and an 11-2 record in eliminations, reached the final by defeating Troy Buff, Brittany Force, and DSR mate Spencer Massey. He said racing a teammate puts an extra swagger into his step.

"When we race them, they're the hardest ones to beat. They make us do a better job. It's probably more gratifying to win against them. We're constantly compared to our teammates," he said.

Schumacher confessed that all weekend his car probably wasn't performing the best among the 16 qualified ones.

"I don't know that we had the best car this weekend. We had a good car," he said. "We did three (3.)85s and spun the tires once. There were faster cars than that. But sometimes you've got to go consistent. Sometimes you've got to go down the racetrack."

Runner-up Brown said after reaching the semifinals or better in four straight events,

"You can't take anything away from the Army team. They did a great job. They ran [3.85] in the final round, and that's what we tuned ours up to do. We knew that's what it was going to take to win that round. Unfortunately [our engine lost a cylinder] at the hit of the throttle and that's how it goes. Our hat's off to them: they ran three .85's today. So they got the win, and they deserve it.

"We are going crucial rounds. That's what it's all about," Brown said. "When you get in that final round, me and Tony both had the cake, because we made it to the final. But he got the icing today. We love the icing, and he got it from us this time. Next time we are going to make sure that we get the icing and the cherry."

Brown is the only driver in the class to win at least a round at every race so far this season. He also has qualified in the top two at three of the four 2013 races and never worse than No. 4. He advanced Sunday past Brandon Bernstein, Morgan Lucas, and Terry McMillen.

The class saw a bit of manufacturer history in the opening round. With some help from tire-smoking Doug Kalitta, Brittany Force became the first Top Fuel driver in 42 years to win a competitive round in a Ford-powered dragster. The last to do so was the late "Sneaky Pete" Robinson, when he defeated Bob Murray in the second round of the 1970 U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis. In the Castrol Edge Dragster powered by the Ford BOSS 500 nitro motor, Brittany Force qualified 11th in the field of 16.

ATTABOY GIRL - Brittany Force had some help Sunday from higher-qualified Doug Kalitta in the first round of elimination in the SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
 
In posting her first round-win and the first in the Top Fuel class in John Force Racing history, the pro rookie became the first Top Fuel driver in 42 years to win a competitive round in a Ford-powered dragster.

The last to do so was the late "Sneaky Pete” Robinson," when he defeated Bob Murray in the second round of the 1970 U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis.
 
In the Castrol Edge Dragster powered by the Ford BOSS 500 nitro motor, Brittany Force qualified 11th in the field of 16 at this fourth event on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour.
 
Tony Schumacher beat Troy Buff to advance to a quarterfinal match-up with Force, and he said her accomplishmen was "cool. That's going to be with her the rest of her life." Then with a grin, he said, "I just want to make sure it isn't two rounds."

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK -

TOP FUEL

STILL THE ONE - Antron Brown said he and his Matco Tools Dragster team are "right where we wanted to be" Saturday as qualifying for the SummitRacing.com Nationals closed Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

And why not?

Brown is the reigning Top Fuel champion, points leader, and No. 1 qualifier -- hitting the Trifecta of the weekend -- with a $50,000 winner's share of the purse sitting on the table in front of him like a scrumptious dessert.

"I'm just looking forward to getting after it," Brown said of Sunday eliminations, which will begin with a match-up against Brandon Bernstein. "The first run at 11 the track should be cool and be at its best. We'll pick our best lane, put our hats down, and hit it hard. As the day goes on, the track is going to get hotter and trickier."

Crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald tuned Brown to a 3.780-second, 320.43-mph No. 1 pass on the 1,000-foot course.

This is Brown's first top-qualifying position of the season and first since the end of last September at St. Louis' Gateway Motorsports Park. It's his second at Las Vegas, the last of which came in April 2010.

"We've been to the finals four times and only have one win. We're way overdue," Brown said. But he said he feels positive about his chances.

"I've got a lot of confidence in my guys. The car's been performing well since the start of the year. That's a credit to our Matco guys and the guys back at the shop who build these cars," he said.

Conditions led Brown to declare that Saturday's action "was quite different. The track definitely got hotter, but Clay [Millican] had a phenomenal number right in front of us [a 3.797-second elapsed time at 325.85 mph to qualify No. 2]. That was a remarkable run."

However, he said, "We stepped up and had a solid effort with the second quickest run of the day. That last run, we were pushing the track trying to run a really low [3.80]. We’ll go back and get ready for tomorrow."

McMILLEN SCRAMBLES TO MAKE FINAL TOP FUEL SESSION - Landing in the No. 1 starting position might not sound like something to do cartwheels about.

But for Top Fuel owner-driver Terry McMillen, that result Saturday the Summit Racing.com Nationals represented a monumental achievement.

In the third overall qualifying session at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, McMillen was trying to improve on his No. 11 spot when he lost traction and his engine erupted into a fireball.

It all happened while Clay Millican, his buddy and former fellow International Hot Rod Association racer, was in the opposite lane, recording his career-best elapsed time and speed (3.797 seconds, 325.85 mph) to seize the No. 2 position.

But McMillen knew it would be a scramble for crew chief Richard Hartman and his team members to get him back to the starting line for the final qualifying session. And that would be on an otherwise routine Saturday.

This wasn't a typical day for the Amalie Oil / UNOH / Motor State Dragster team. They were hosting the country-rock band Parmalee in their pits. And the quartet from North Carolina, soaking in their first National Hot Rod Association drag race, were entertaining fans and passersby with two of their hit singles, "Carolina" and "Musta Had A Good Time."

So here was a concert -- one McMillen and crew would have loved to enjoy, as well -- going on at the entrance to the Amalie Oil Dragster pit . . . and Hartman, consultant Lee Beard from the Rapisarda Autosport International team, and all the mechanics feverishly working on the car behind them.

Thanks to the on-track misfortune of fellow Top Fuel drivers Troy Buff and Brandon Bernstein in the opening pairs of the final qualifying session with engine explosions, McMillen had a little extra time to get back to the starting line.

PAIRINGS - Besides the Antron Brown-Brandon Bernstein match-up in Round 1, other pairings are Clay Millican - Steve Faria, Tony Schumacher - Troy Buff, Shawn Langdon - Dave Grubnic, Khalid al Balooshi [pictured] - Terry McMillen, Doug Kalitta - Brittany Force,Bob Vandergriff - Spencer Massey, and Steve Torrence - Morgan Lucas.
B.B. ON BUMP - Brandon Bernstein sat on the bump after the third overall session with an 8.072-second elapsed time in the ProtectTheHarvest,com/MAVTV Dragster. With the pressure on to stay in the field of 16, Bernstein kept his foot on the gas, went for broke, and rode out a flaming run. "You have to get it in, no matter what," he said. "It's unfortunate that it happened, but that's what happens in this game."
BRITTANY FORCE STREAK INTACT - For the fourth consecutive race, rookie Brittany Force qualified her Castrol EDGE Dragster. She's qualified No. 11, her best start so far. She will face veteran Doug Kalitta in the opening round Sunday. "We're in for the show tomorrow, and that's the main thing," she said. "My last pass was a 3.88 ET. We were happy because out of the four qualifying runs we made three good, strong, consistent passes down the track. We get to run Doug Kalitta tomorrow, and I’ve never raced him before, so I'm excited about it. Our plan is to have this Castrol EDGE Top Fuel car in top condition and ready to face the competition on race day."
TWO DRIVERS DNQ - Steve Chrisman and Scott Palmer were the odd men out in the Top Fuel class.

FUNNY CAR

HOLDING THE LINE - Robert Hight came to the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas searching for answers with his Auto Club Ford Mustang.

After the completion of qualifying Saturday, Hight and his Mustang can’t do anything wrong.

Hight won the provisional pole position on Friday night with a blistering 4.053-second lap and the elapsed time was good enough to win the pole position after qualifying was completed Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“We really thought this Auto Club Ford was on the turnaround at Gainesville, but we had to wait two weeks to figure it out and come here and prove it,” Hight said. “It has been a long 19 races since I have been up here talking to you guys. I think it has almost been that long since I won a race.”

Hight picked up six bonus points for his qualifying efforts, which also included him posting a 4.093-second lap which was the quickest run in the final qualifying session.

Hight last was the No. 1 qualifier at the Southern Nationals in Atlanta last May. Hight’s last win was at the Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte, N.C., April 15, 2012. Hight has 27 career national event wins.

It is not surprising Hight is on top of the qualifying ladder at Las Vegas as this is his eighth pole position at The Strip. Hight also is the defending champion at the spring Vegas race.

Hight now has won 44 career pole positions, which is fourth best all-time in the NHRA nitro Funny Car ranks behind John Force (144), Cruz Pedregon (51) and Don Prudhomme (50).

“Qualifying is over and (Sunday) is a new day,” Hight said. “I’m pretty proud of my car and the way my team worked. That 4.09 (in the final qualifying session) was pretty stout. I believe we have a car we can race with. Right now I have a really good feel about the way the (John Force Racing) cars are running. I think we have three cars that can contend. What would be better than seeing two JFR cars in the final (Sunday)?”

Hight admitted he was worried he was going to get knocked off the qualifying throne as the delays mounted and the track conditions were improving.

“The longer those delays took I was thinking it was going to be tough,” Hight said. “What scared me, was Cruz Pedregon was coming up and he just loves these kinds of conditions. He could have run right there with us when it was cooling off. He honestly has a really good car and it showed (Saturday). It looked like he was pushing a little (Friday). He calmed it down and made two great runs. He is another tough car.”

Not only is Hight upbeat about his qualifying results, it also gave his team a much-needed jolt.

“What is cool to me is seeing what an ET slip will do for your team,” Hight said. “It helps the morale of the team so much. My team has been pretty beat up and they have been working really hard testing. They have been putting in a lot of hours. You start getting a couple positive ET slips and everything gets better. It is magic.”

TASCA THRILLED - Qualifing No. 11 usually would not be a cause for celebration for a nitro Funny Car driver. Bob Tasca III, however, was thrilled about being in the No. 11 spot at 4.165 seconds in his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang.

“We are real excited about where we are at right now,” Tasca said. “We came to this race with a brand new chassis and we switched the blower. When you switch the blower the average person doesn’t realize that changes your clutch setup, that changes your timing setup, and it changes your fuel setup. We rolled out of the trailer in Vegas with a big unknown. I was excited about making the change. I just felt we needed to do that. I just couldn’t take it anymore. We spent a boat load of money testing this offseason and it just wasn’t happening at Pomona, Phoenix and Gainesville. I just wasn’t happy with the way the car was running and I felt I needed to make a change.”

Tasca faces Matt Hagan Sunday in the first round.

“Hagan doesn’t want to race us and we do not want to race him, that is Funny Car racing,” Tasca said. “You have monster match-ups every round. I’m feeling very confident and we love what the race car is showing us at the 60 foot mark and how it is responding to some of our changes.”

Following Sunday, Tasca said he will test all day Monday at The Strip at Las Vegas.

HAWLEY-BECKMAN LOOKING AHEAD - The resumes of Frank Hawley and Jack Beckman speak for themselves.

Hawley won NHRA nitro Funny Car world championships in 1982 and ’83. Beckman won an NHRA Super Comp world title in 2003 and a nitro Funny Car championship in 2012.

On March 15, Hawley and Beckman, for the first time, held a joint speaking seminar in Gainesville, Fla.

“It went well and we had a good time,” Hawley said. “Different folks showed up for different reasons. We had not done that particular format before, but we enjoyed ourselves. Right now we do not have anything set or planned, but we always like to leave things open and we have already talked about doing something somewhere else. Jack is so easy to work with. I presented something and something would pop into Jack’s mind and he had a lot of material that we had not gone over before. Jack always brings real practical stuff to the table because he is out there racing every day.”

Beckman qualified third at Las Vegas at 4.095 seconds in his Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger for Don Schumacher Racing.

RACE HAS GOT WILK - Tim Wilkerson will be racing Sunday as he qualified No. 15 at 4.225 seconds.

Wilkerson has yet to make exactly the kind of lap he's been looking for in Las Vegas. Perhaps he'll do that in round one on Sunday, but so far he's had trouble with dropped cylinders on three runs, followed by nearly instantaneous tire smoke on his fourth attempt.

He will face Courtney Force in round one.

"We've been dropping cylinders all weekend, and we've been really focused on fixing that problem," Wilkerson said. "So, sure enough, we go out there in Q4 and get it to leave the line on all eight, and we spin the tires. The car is being a real brat right now, not cooperating with me in the least, so we're going to have to have a real heart-to-heart talk (Friday night), just me and the car, and work our way through this. It's no fun to be chasing issues lap after lap, but I know for a fact you can win the race after qualifying like this. You just have to be in it to win it, and we are, so we'll get after it (Sunday)."

Force is ready for his matchup with Wilkerson.

“We had a great pass to get us in the top half on Friday night,” said Courtney, who came in at 4.068 seconds. “It was a great session to put on in the No. 2 spot. My teammate Robert Hight went to the No. 1 spot so I’m excited going into the race (Sunday). I kind of struggled a little bit getting the car to the other end earlier (Saturday), but I was determined to get it down there on the last pass. It ran a pretty good run for the session and for the conditions, running a 4.11. We were trying to attack it on that run and get up to the top spot, but just didn’t quite get it there.”

Courtney Force is 3-0 to Wilkerson in previous events.

FORCE GETS DEJORIA - While Hight and his daughter Courtney qualified No. 1 and No. 2, John Force is sitting in the No. 9 spot at 4.141 seconds. The elder Force gets second-year driver Alexis DeJoria.

“It’s always exciting to race Alexis because her dad (John Paul DeJoria) will be out there on the starting line just like I am with Courtney and Brittany,” John Force said. “He wants her to win. Of course I want to win, but she has a great race car right now. Someone will get it and get through to the next round so we’ll just have to wait and see. Lots of factors play into race day.”

BONUS POINTS PLEASE - Cruz Pedregon (3 points), Alexis DeJoria (2 points) and John Force (1 point) picked up bonus points in the third qualifying session.

In the fourth qualifying session, Robert Hight (3 points), Jack Beckman (2 points), and Courtney Force (1 point) each picked up bonus points.

PRO STOCK

CHA-CHING - Reigning Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson has another trophy -- another bonus-race trophy -- to take home to Greeneville, Tennessee, and put on his mantel.
 
But first he'll probably stop at the local bank to deposit the $50,000 he won Saturday at Las Vegas during the SummitRacing.com Nationals.
 
Johnson recovered from tire shake and outran Erica Enders-Stevens in the final round of the K&N Horsepower Challenge.
 
For all his impressive performance numbers, Johnson found himself winning with a less-than-stunning 7.188-second quarter-mile pass at 200.62 miles an hour at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Both he and Enders-Stevens experienced trouble right at the launch, thanks to track conditions that were atypical for the Pro Stock class.
 
But he recovered quickly in his Team Mopar / J&J Racing Dodge Avenger to win this bonus event for the second time and first since 2008.
　
Enders-Stevens reached her first final round in four K&N Horsepower Challenge starts. She coasted in her G-K Motorsports Chevy Camaro to a 9.602-second, 110.96-mile-an-hour clocking.
 
Gone after Round One were last year's winner, Vincent Nobile; fan-vote entrant Jeg Coughlin; points leader and No. 1 qualifier Mike Edwards; and V. Gaines. So it was a surprisingly early end for some of the class' best racers.
 
Johnson said that proves the competition was fierce, making his victory that much sweeter.
 
Vince Jardine, of Rockford, Illinois, took home a new T-R-D-super charged Toyota Tacoma after winning the K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes. Each of the race's eight drivers was paired with a fan, so each driver had extra incentive to win. Now, Johnson said, he plans to bring Jardine to another race -- as his lucky charm.
 
Johnson has a chance to turn his Saturday success into a $100,000 race-day jackpot. If he wins Sunday's eliminations, he would collect the $25,000 winner's share of the purse, along with a $25,000 double-up bonus from the NHRA.

STILL FIRST IN QUALIFYING - Mike Edwards will lead the Pro Stock field Sunday at the SummitRacing.com Nationals, continuing his qualifying dominance. He has been top qualifier at each of the season's four events. But he still is looking for that first victory of the year in the I Am Second / Interstate Batteries / K&N Chevy Camaro.
 
With a 6.642-second elapsed time on the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway quarter-mile, he had a full hundredth-of-a-second advantage over No. 2 qualifier Allen Johnson. And his 208.26 miles-an-hour speed, not only was Edwards fastest in the Pro Stock class, he also was the only one in the 208-mile-an-hour range.
 
But all that success -- including running his weekend-best numbers in the worst conditions -- hardly erased the sting of losing in the first round of the $50,000-to-win K & N Horsepower Challenge that took place during qualifying Saturday.
 
One thing that brought a smile to Edwards' face, though, was the prospect of equaling Bob Glidden's qualifying-streak record.

JONES ENJOYING HIS RIDE - Rickie Jones has turned some heads at Las Vegas this weekend by qualifying No. 4 at 6.674 seconds in his Chevy Camaro.

Jones could not better his qualifying time in the fourth qualifying session as he had an oil pump malfunction in the burnout and had to shut off.

“We are very happy to be No. 4 and can’t wait for race day,” Jones said.

Jones meets No. 13 qualifier Deric Kramer in the first round Sunday.

GRAY’S UPBEAT - Shane Gray has struggled a little bit during the early part of the 2013 NHRA season.

Gray has shown some improvement this weekend in Las Vegas and he qualified No. 7 with a 6.685-second time.

“We are OK,” Gray said. “We should have been up around fourth or fifth, but we made a pretty good run last night and we just need to make better runs. We have plenty of power, we just have to make better runs.”

During the first session of nitro Funny Car qualifying Friday, Johnny Gray, Shane’s father, had a mishap resulting in the body of his Pitch Energy Dodge Charger blowing sky-high and over the guard wall. The elder Gray was uninjured.

“The first thing that went through my mind was d*** that was a nice paint job,” Shane said about his dad’s explosion. “The cars are safe and I knew everything would be all right. He just put a spare body back on the car and was back out there.”

BAD LUCK IN VEGAS - People are always going to Las Vegas trying to change their luck.

Rodger Brogdon and Steve Kent, Pro Stock teammates, didn’t have much good fortune Friday and Saturday.

Brogdon qualified No. 11 at 6.706 seconds and Kent failed to make the show. Brogdon faces V. Gaines in round one.

“We keep hurting a lot of engines,” Brogdon said. “We have some issues with our new engine program. We hurt three engines this weekend between Steve and I. We know what the problem is. We just have to have the time to fix it.”

Kent, who is running a limited schedule, is going to run again at NHRA’s Spring Nationals in Houston April 26-28.

“I’m hoping to have my new car and be ready to race at Houston,” Kent said.

HOLESHOTS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE - In the K&N Horsepower Challenge race-within-a-race bonus event, the competition was tight between the eight Pro Stock drivers.

Every driver was looking for an edge and Greg Anderson and Jason Line, the Summit Racing teammates found it at the starting line in round one.

Anderson beat rival Mike Edwards and Jason Line defeated V. Gaines with holeshots.

Edwards clocked a 6.694-second time at 207.72 mph, but lost to Anderson’s 6.697-second lap at 207.53 mph. The difference was Anderson’s .067 reaction time compared to Edwards’ .083 reaction time.

Line ran a 6.698-second lap at 207.75 mph to beat Gaines’ faster 6.684-second run at 207.50. Line had a .034 reaction time and Gaines came in at .058.

CHAMP KNOCKED OUT - Vincent Nobile had high hopes to repeat as the champion of the K&M Horsepower Challenge.

Those hopes vanished immediately. Nobile lost in the first round to Erica Enders-Stevens.

Enders-Stevens clocked a 6.688-second run to beat Nobile’s 6.701-second pass.

Enders-Stevens had the top reaction of the first round at .010.

SWEET 16 - Veteran Pro Stock driver Larry Morgan was able to squeak into the Pro Stock field Saturday with a 6.734-second elapsed time. Morgan just edged Kurt Johnson, who was No. 17 on the ladder at 6.735 seconds.

Morgan draws top qualifier Mike Edwards in round one.

"I'm just happy for all of these guys," Morgan said. "We've tried every motor and put everything we had into this thing. We stuck a valve (Friday) and then made a bad run, and I burned the clutch up in that last run. I'm just glad we got in."

AND THE BONUS GOES TO - During the third and fourth round of Pro Stock qualifying bonus points were won. In session three, Allen Johnson (3 points), Rickie Jones (2 points) and Jeg Coughlin (1 point) earned extra points. During the fourth session, Mike Edwards (3 points), Coughlin (2 points) and Johnson (one point) received bonus points.


OUTSIDE LOOKING IN - Besides Steve Kent, Kurt Johnson and Chris McGaha also had their weekends end on Saturday as they also failed to qualify for the 16-car field.

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -

TOP FUEL

STICKING IT TO THE COALS - Antron Brown would like to be the National Hot Rod Association's first professional repeat winner this season. And the Gatornationals winner took the first step toward that Friday night, taking the early Top Fuel lead at the Summit Racing.com Nationals.

Driving the Matco Tools Dragster, Brown covered the 1,000-foot course at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 3.780 seconds at 320.43 miles an hour, topping his own Don Schumacher Racing mate Tony Schumacher and the Al-Anabi duo of Shawn Langdon and Khalid al Balooshi.

The reigning Top Fuel champion credited his team. In his words, they "stuck it to the coals" and gave him the day's quickest hot rod at one of drag racing's finest facilities.

At the past two races, Brown thought he had the No. 1 spot, only to see Doug Kalitta take away the honor at the last second. Kalitta lurks in sixth place, behind No. 5 Clay Millican. But Brown hasn't forgotten and wants to make sure he hold onto the top spot through two more Saturday qualifying sessions.

Brown said he's hoping what he calls "the sun gods" will give his team some help Saturday.

DIXON TALKS WILD RIDE - Larry Dixon wasn't scheduled to compete at the SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.

But despite two overseas flights in about a week and a crazy Top Fuel crash that marked an "artistic" first in his drag-racing career, Dixon was on the starting line, watching all the action.

His crew chief, Lee Beard, was busy, as well, helping Top Fuel friend Terry McMillen take the early lead, go to No. 2, and settle in Friday as the provisional No. 9 qualifier.

Earlier in the week, Dixon told WFO Radio's Joe Castello (in an interview that readers can access on Competition Plus TV) called from Australia and described his crash that spun and didn't hit either guard wall at Willowbank Raceway in a race sponsored by his team owner, Santo Rapisarda Sr.

"At about 150-200 feet, the engine came up," he said. "I thought it was spinning the tire right then. I lifted. As soon as I lifted, the car started to come around."

He said that's when he told himself, "OK, I know it’s more than that. I've been on these kinds of rides before. The car started to come around, and I happened to catch it at the right place and right time to get the thing squared up again and try to get the car stopped fast."

He said two thoughts flashed through his mind: "You want to get off the ride" and saving as many parts as possible on the car from damage.

Dixon said on the public-address Friday in this city that talks constantly about luck that "there isn’t anything lucky about that" and that he was amazed the walls were spaced wide enough to allow a Top Fuel dragster to spin around on its side without hitting anything.

He said to Castello, "Was luck involved? Probably. Was The Lord involved? Definitely."

Dixon and the Rapisarda entry will be back on the track at Charlotte, Houston, and Atlanta.

NOT GOOD ENOUGH? - Tony Schumacher didn't hesitate to say that his 3.845-second elapsed time that led the Top Fuel pack in Friday's first session wouldn't stand as the day's best. "Absolutely not," the U.S. Army Dragster driver said. "It won't even hold with our own car." He was right. He secured the provisional No. 2 spot with an improved 3.807, 325.06.

 INSTI-GATOR TAKES BIG BITE - Terry McMillen saw a dramatic turnaround in his Amalie Oil / UNOH / Motor State Dragster program as the SummitRacing.com Nationals kicked off. The Top Fuel owner-driver underdog, whose DNQs at Pomona and Gainesville sandwiched a 15th-place start at Phoenix, was the top dog Friday afternoon. Until Tony Schumacher closed the session with a class-leading 3.845-second pass, McMillen dominated with an 3.861-second E.T. at a 323.27 mph that was fastest among the 16 racers making passes. That was McMillen's career-fastest speed, erasing his 321.50 mph from Charlotte in the fall of 2011. McMillen crew chief Richard Hartman was quick to credit Lee Beard, who's consulting with the Elkhart, Ind.-based team while he's idle this week with Rapisarda Autosport. "It has definitely been a team effort," McMillen said.

OH BOY - Top Fuel racer Steve Faria has a rough start to his day.

FUNNY CAR

BACK TO THE BASICS - Robert Hight has experienced the depths of National Hot Rod Association Funny Car racing.

But in Friday night qualifying for the Summit Racing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Hight proved he is starting to regain his successful form.
 
He drove the Auto Club Ford Mustang to a 4.053-second elapsed time at 315.19 miles an hour on the 1,000-foot course to claim the provisional No. 1 qualifying position.
 
With Courtney Force holding down second place so far and John Force among the top 12, Hight said he thinks the entire John Force Racing organization is shaping up as contenders for the Funny Car championship.

Hight said he thought crew chief Jimmy Prock was turning the corner with his Mustang's performance and that he was impatient after the Gatornationals. He didn't want to wait three weeks to keep the momentum going.
 
He said the team is getting back to fundamentals.

HE BLOWED UP REAL GOOD -- AGAIN - Who blew up J/R.?

Folks watching the Summit Racing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway weren't talking Friday afternoon about J.R. Ewing from the "Dallas" prime-time soap opera. They were buzzing about Funny Car driver Johnny Gray and mishap in his first qualifying session that blew the body of his Pitch Energy Dodge Charger sky-high and over the guard wall.

It destroyed the likeness of Gray's late father J.R. Gray, to whom the car livery is a tribute in Gray's farewell tour. During the winter, he and sister, Terry Chandler, turned a lost sponsorship into an opportunity to salute their dad, who owned New Mexico-based Marbob Energy and loved to play the card game Pitch.

"His car looked like it was hauling the mail," his Don Schumacher Racing colleague Antron Brown said, watching as he awaited the Top Fuel class' weekend debut. "Something just broke."

Gray confirmed that after climbing from his car on his own power.

"It was running along, not doing anything spectacular, not dong anything stupid. I don't know -- it swallowed an intake valve or something," he said. That's the great thing about being with DSR. We have plenty of parts in the truck and put the fix on it and come back and set low E.T. How does that sound?"

It happened in the final pairing of the Funny Car qualifying for the opening session.

Low-budgeted Top Fuel racer Steve Faria followed Gray in that right lane with a huge fireball from his dragster at the first hit of the throttle. The culprit appeared to be a disconnected fuel line.

Neither driver was injured.

Gray, who Race No. 3 of the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule three weeks ago against former teammate Del Worsham, grabbed a share of the points lead with Phoenix winner Ron Capps. And he was running alongside Capps when his boomer occurred Friday.

It was not the first time it happened to Gary here at Las Vegas.

"I had one of my biggest explosions at Vegas, so I always kid [crew chief Rob] Wendland that on every run at that track I like to close one eye at about 800 feet [down track] just in case," Gray said jokingly. He was alluding to the October 2011 race. He said, "Vegas is a great racetrack where you can generate a lot of power, and our cars like to run there, so we are anticipating having a great time." Gary said, "We have a blast at the track." Surely this was not what he meant.

He was correct in saying, "We have a good-running hot rod right now, so I like our chances.""

He said that's no because he has a hand of cards spread across the side of his car.

"I don't think having any cards on the side of my car is going to help me one bit in Vegas. This sport is pretty fickle," Gray said. ""The team has momentum right now, and we just like to go out there and have fun. We have a blast at the track and we have a good-running hot rod right now, so I like our chances to go there and double-up."

"I don't think having any cards on the side of my car is going to help me one bit out in Vegas. This sport is pretty fickle," Gray had said before the event. "The team has momentum right now, and we just like to go out there and have fun. so I like our chances." He said "it's great" to be leading the standings but that he and his team "really don't feel like we've peaked yet." Then the playful side of Gray, who tuned 60 March 20, just three days after winning the Gatornationals, came out again: "Shoot, at my age, you better peak any time you can."

He said Wendland and fellow crew chief Rip Reynolds "see things they can improve and how they can make it better" every time they look at the car. "As a driver, every time we sit down and critique me, I see things I can do a little bit better, too. We feel like we've got plenty left to improve on."

One thing's for sure -- they had plenty of work to do before hitting the track again.

YOU ARE WHO? -  The 'NO-NAME CREW' making, well, name for themselves

Just for the record -- and for their mamas, who like to see their son's names in print -- their names are Chris "Warrior" Kullberg, Todd Haas, Narciso Bravo, Sterling Van Dusen, Chris Abbott, Archie Singleton, Ethan Dooling, and Mike Rodriguez. Never heard of them? That's OK. Cruz Pedregon might not want his crew guys to be so well-known they're in demand by his rivals. He has said before that it seems every time he trains drag-racing mechanics, other drivers entice them to defect --"which," he said, "just chaps my rear."

But Pedregon proudly refers to them as his the "No-Name" crew, saying, "They are hard-working guys, and everybody is loose and we have a lot of fun."

The two-time Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon is a bit unorthodox in that he has no crew chief for his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry this year. He dismissed Lee Beard after they earned a top-five finish in 2012, an impressive accomplishment considering the team is a rare-breed independent.

His top-qualifying performance at the most recent race, the Amalie Oil Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla., showed that his approach could be working. Of course, it isn’t always perfect. He struck the tires in Friday's first session for a 13th-place start to the weekend with a 5.157-second, 153.18-mph effort. And it got worse in the evening session. He's 19th overnight, ahead of only Jon Capps, with two Saturday chances left to improve.

But provisional No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight , asked if his 4.053-second elapsed time, would be safe through Saturday, spoke specifically only of Pedregon as a threat. "You never now about Cruz Pedregon. [With] that car, he's liable to go out there tomorrow in the heat" and run a No. 1 pass. Said Hight, "It has the potential."

Pedregon is a two-time winner at LVMS, and at both races here last season he set low E.T. of the meet.

"Our car likes rough, tough and let-it-rip," he said. "Whenever we have a finesse setup, the car doesn't want to hear about it. It likes an aggressive setup. That's how we race, and that's what works for us. We have a good-running car and it is forgiving. It is making us look probably better than we are. Over the winter we made some changes and some improvements. It didn't fall off at all. If anything, it picked up a little more consistency."

WHOA! - Todd Lesenko has had explosions before, but his Fountain Tire Dodge Charger Funny Car bucked him Friday night before he really ever got started. The throttle stop broke -- the clip snapped off -- causing the engine to backfire and explode in the water box. Lesenko was unhurt as the car lurched, jumped, and banged in a fiery, smoky mess that delayed second-session action for awhile.

WHO TURNED ON THE HEAT? - Gary Densham got a little toasty warm during Friday night qualifying. He is unqualified headed into Saturday.

VEGAS NOT FORCE'S DOMAIN BUT HE'S WORKING ON IT - John Force hasn't had much luck at Las Vegas. It was on this track in 2007 that his record streak of 395 consecutive starts ended. And in 2001, he lost in the opening round in one of the most bizarre elimination-round results ever. But Force, 63, took the early No. 4 position Friday and is attracting attention for positive performance.

His explanation is having Mike Neff return to his role as crew chief on Force's Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. With Neff, the 15-time champion is 8-0 in elimination rounds. Without him, he's 19-19 with a pair of DNQs. With Neff, Force never has lost at LVMS. Without him, he has rarely won -- in 22 Las Vegas appearances with someone other than Neff as crew chief, Force has won just once, in 2002.

"I can't explain it," Force said. "It's a great track, a Bruton Smith track, and we've run some good numbers there, but we haven't had the results."

At the inaugural fall race at LVMS, Force qualified No. 2 and met Bob Bode in the first round that Sunday. Bode, for some reason, left the starting line long before the timing system was activated. Force reacted by taking off early, too, but was disqualified. He argued vigorously but he, too, was disqualified. The incident prompted the NHRA to rewrite the rule.

Neff was driver-tuner in 2011 and 2012 of a twin Castrol Mustang that Ashley Force Hood vacated for maternity leave. Today he says, "I never had time to relax and just think. It just got to be too much. The mechanical side has always been the challenge for me anyway. I'm glad to be out of the spotlight and back doing what I really enjoy."

Force said, "I'm excited to be back racing with Mike Neff instead of racing against him, but nobody’s cutting us any slack. It's just like being an ol' gunfighter. Somebody's always wanting to prove they're quicker than you. That's what keeps me motivated."
 
PRO STOCK

MR SECOND IS FIRST AGAIN -Mike Edwards has made a habit of starting on the pole position this season.

The veteran Pro Stock driver started on the pole at each of the first three events – the Winternationals, Arizona Nationals and Gatornationals.

Edwards is on the verge of making it 4-for-4 with No. 1 qualifying positions, thanks to his performance Friday at the Summitracing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Edwards clocked a 6.651-second elapsed time at 207.98 mph to capture the provisional pole.

“The first run was way better than the second run I can tell you that,” said Edwards, who won the 2009 NHRA Pro Stock world championship. “We made some changes for the night run and went the wrong way. Hopefully, we will go back the other way (Saturday) and hopefully that will be better for us. All in all, we made two good runs (Friday) and hopefully we can take forward what we learned (Friday) and put it toward the K&N Challenge.”

Edwards had a 6.655 ET on his first qualifying run on Friday. The K&N Horsepower Challenge takes place Saturday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time.

Edwards has been a runner-up four times in nine starts in the K&N Horsepower Challenge.

“I just need to take it one step farther,” Edwards said about the all-star race for Pro Stock drivers which awards $50,000 to the winner. “I have been close four times and man I would sure like to win that race. It is so special to be involved with K&N and all the support they give us. It’s one of my goals to do every year (to win the K&N Horsepower Challenge) and I just have not done it yet, but hopefully, maybe this will be the year.”

Qualifying will take on a different feel for Edwards Saturday since he also is competing in the K&N Horsepower Challenge.

“We didn’t run very good (Friday night), I will put it that way,” Edwards said. “Hopefully (Saturday) we can make some adjustments and run better. (Saturday) you want to run good, but you are also racing so your mindset is a little bit different. You are trying to qualify and win $50,000, but it is nothing we have not tried to do before. I’m just real happy for my team. Everybody is doing a phenomenal job. I just hope we can come out (Saturday) and run good and hopefully we can finally get that trophy (for winning the K&N Horsepower Challenge). It is a beautiful trophy by the way.”

BEEN THERE DONE THAT - Vincent Nobile knows all about the K&N Horsepower Challenge.

A year ago, Nobile, at the age of the 20, won the Pro Stock all-star race at Summit Raceway Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Nobile became the youngest driver to capture the K&N Horsepower Challenge and he also pocketed $50,000 for the victory. Nobile then doubled his pleasure by winning the national event in the same weekend last July.

Nobile is trying to do the same this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The K&N Horsepower Challenge takes place Saturday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time.

“I’m hoping for a repeat of last year,” Nobile said about the K&N Horsepower Challenge. “We’re kind of happy it is at Vegas even though we do well at Norwalk. We have a pretty good track record at Vegas. We have been to the finals three out of the four times we have raced here. For whatever reason my car usually runs well here and we get a little bit of luck here so hopefully that will continue.”

Nobile made two qualifying runs Friday at The Strip in his Mountain View Tire-sponsored Dodge Avenger, clocking 6.697 seconds twice, the second at 206.54 mph. He is presently No. 9 on the qualifying ladder.

As Nobile gets ready for the the K&N Horsepower Challenge, he isn’t changing his approach.

“On Saturday, I will treat it like Sunday (because of the K&N Horsepower Challenge),” Nobile said. “It is definitely cool to be a part of the K&N Horsepower Challenge. It’s cool to have this sponsored by K&N, we thank them. It is a real neat deal. It’s is kind of like an all-star race and it is something different, which all the Pro Stock guys enjoy.”

Nobile admitted he would have ways to spend the $50,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge winner’s check.

“If we win it, we do not want the money yet, we might lose it here in Vegas,” Nobile said.

Nobile said he is enjoying being a part of Allen Johnson’s Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger team, which also includes Jeg Coughlin. Johnson is the reigning Pro Stock world champion.

“We are doing pretty well as a team and we are going to try and keep it going,” Nobile said. “We want to win as many races as possible between the three of us. It is nice being a part of this team. They have the experience and what it takes to win championships and hopefully it is my turn this year. Hopefully as a trio we can finish 1-2-3 in the point standings.”

Nobile won the season-opening Winternationals and Johnson won the last event, the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. Coughlin was runner-up at the Winternationals and Gatornationals.

Coughlin (6.655) and Johnson (6.672) qualified No. 2 and No. 3 Friday.

STANFIELD HAS HIGH HOPES - Greg Stanfield came to the Summitracing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip ninth in the Pro Stock point standings.

Stanfield is trying to move up in the points this weekend and he’s upbeat about he can accomplish.

“We ran here last year in the spring with this car, so we have some notes which will help us,” Stanfield said.

Stanfield made two qualifying laps Friday, posting times of 6.770 seconds and 6.735 seconds in his MAVTV Lucas Oil Camaro. Unfortunately for Stanfield, he was the 13th quickest car and has yet to qualify.

Although Stanfield tested at The Strip in early February right before the Winternationals there wasn’t much carry over for him.

“The weather is so much different from when we tested until now,” Stanfield said. “It was around 50 degrees when we tested and the track is totally different. The track temperature when we tested was probably 70 degrees and now it will probably be 120 degrees. In the past we have been good (when the track temperature warmed up). We will just have to wait and see.”

NEW COLORS - Defending Pro Stock winner of the fall event, Allen Johnson not only brings a new car to the track after testing it this past week at Rockingham, N.C. but is also sporting a fresh new look with Mopar’s “Express Lane Fast Oil Changes & More” message. Currently more than 800 Chrysler Group dealerships provide a dedicated Express Lane to provide fast service and convenient light maintenance without the need of an appointment. Heading into this event, Mopar drivers Jeg Coughlin Jr., Johnson & Vincent Nobile are second, third, and forth in Pro Stock Championship standings. Coughlin is hoping to press his Dodge Avenger and his luck in Las Vegas in order to join his teammates in earning a Wally after he finished runner-up to each one in Pomona (Nobile) and Gainesville (Johnson).

THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - GETTING READY FOR THE VEGAS BATTLE

 WILL WE SEE A REPEAT? - None of the pro classes has had a repeat winner so far this season. Shawn Langdon, Tony Schumacher, and Antron Brown have been the Top Fuel winners. In Funny Car, they have been Courtney Force, Ron Capps, and Johnny Gray. Vincent Nobile, Erica Enders-Stevens, and Allen Johnson are the Pro Stock winners.

LUCKY BLACK CLOVER - Who doesn't need a lucky clover at Las Vegas? Top Fuel driver Steve Torrence has it in his new marketing partnership with Black Clover apparel. The lifestyle apparel company, with its iconic clover emblem and "Live Lucky" slogan, will serve as the official clothing line of Torrence Racing for 2013 and will be added to the car for the remaining 21 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events. "Black Clover is a perfect partner for us," Torrence said. "Everyone at Black Clover prides themselves on quality and style, which are two things we also strive for at Torrence Racing. They are more than just an apparel company. They are a lifestyle company, and we know their brand will fit nicely with the lifestyle of our NHRA fans." The marketing partnership with Torrence Racing will be Black Clover's first in motorsports since the company was founded five years ago.

To celebrate their new partnership, Black Clover and MGM Grand will host a free autograph session with Torrence Saturday at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. Torrence will be on hand from 7 to 8:30 p.m. for photos and autographs. Black Clover will display many of its product lines during the autograph session, giving fans a chance to see the quality and style of the brand and become part of "Clover Nation."

"Black Clover executives are very excited about the opportunities that drag racing provides," stated Black Clover founder Brett Wayment. "Steve introduced us to NHRA drag racing about a year ago and we were absolutely astonished by what we saw. The sheer power of the cars certainly got our attention, but the devoted loyalty and passion of the NHRA fans really impressed us as well. Our partnership with Torrence Racing is a good first step into this new world for us, and we envision growing our involvement as time goes on."

LAS VEGAS LURE - Brandon Bernstein said he loves Las Vegas as a prime people-watching place, but he's hoping the eyes of fans at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are on him in the winners circle again Sunday. "There's great nightlife and I do enjoy gambling, as well," the Top Fuel racer said. "But the most fun I have is sitting with friends at one of the bars and just watching the people go by. People of all shapes, sizes, colors and everything come to Vegas and it's cool to take it all in. It's one of the few places we go to that you can leave the issues on the track at the track. Plus there's no place better to celebrate a race win." The ProtectTheHarvest.com / MAVTV Dragster driver said, "I can't wait to get back to Vegas, because the track has been a great one for me. There's something about that track that I just love, and of course there's a lot of personal history there for me, winning at the same race as my dad." Kenny Bernstein won the inaugural event here in 2000, and the following year he (in Top Fuel) and Brandon (in Top Alcohol Dragster) became the first father-son combo to win at the same national event. Brandon Bernstein earned the Top Fuel trophy in 2007, and has been runner-up at this first of two annual Las Vegas races in the past four seasons. "There are tons of distractions in Vegas," Bernstein said -- but he's counting on none of them derailing his mission this weekend.

Mac Tools Dragster driver Doug Kalitta, the No. 4-ranked driver in the Top Fuel standings, has qualified first at the past two of the season's three races and opened the schedule no worse than third at the Winternationals. He was the 2004 winner here and was runner-up to Larry Dixon in both 2003 and 2006. He hasn't been top qualifier at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway since 2005, but he also led the field in 2003. Is he about to have another run of good luck? He'd say yes -- on the track but maybe not so much when it comes to gambling on "that other Strip." Said Kalitta. "My Mac Tools guys, led by Jim O [Oberhofer] and Troy [Fasching], and I are beyond excited about our chances in Las Vegas on the track, but not so much in the casinos. I always enjoy racing in Las Vegas and can't wait for qualifying to get started."

CANDLEWOOD SUITES DRAGSTER DEBUTS - No racer likes waiting three weeks to race again after  a first-round defeat, and Top Fuel's Dave Grubnic is hoping his Candlewood Suites Dragster debut will signal a performance turnaround. "We started the year off on a strong note, and we want to get back on that program with our Candlewood Suites team ASAP. We stayed and tested in Florida, where Connie made some changes to our setup. We have learned from Doug's car [teammate Kalitta's Mac Tools Dragster], and the preliminary results we saw were very encouraging. Our plan this year is to take what we learned in testing and tip the odds into our favor." Sounds like a fitting plan for Las Vegas. Grubnic reached back-to-back finals here in the fall of 2005 and the spring of 2006. Candlewood Suites livery will be on Grubnic's car also at Houston, Atlanta, Englishtown, and Dallas.

BETTING ON IT? - Del Worsham's Funny Car runner-up finish at the Gatornationals has bolstered his confidence in his return to the class. Add to that his most recent result at Las Vegas. He won the 2011 fall race in the Top Fuel class on his way to the championship. At Gainesville, Worsham, in his DHL Toyota Camry for Kalitta Motorsports, beat three Ford drivers (Tim Wilkerson and the John Force Racing Mustangs of Courtney Force and Robert Hight) but lost to Johnny Gray in the final. "Las Vegas holds some great memories for me," Worsham said, "and after our performance in Gainesville, I am thrilled to go back. I know my DHL Toyota Camry team has what it takes to go one more round and pick up the victory this weekend."

DOIN' IT HIS WAY - Tim Wilkerson will sport Mandalay Bay sponsorship on his car this weekend, and he loves coming to Las Vegas. But publicist Bob Wilber said the constant barrage of noise and frolicking on the casino floor offer "no more of an attraction to him than a dentist's chair. The man simply doesn't gamble." That goes for on the racetrack, too.

Said Wilkerson, the 2008 Las Vegas spring winner, "If I was looking back on 15-plus years of doing nothing right then it might be time to try something crazy, but we've had some success and we go about it our way. That's kind of the way I grew up, and the approach my dad gave me when it came to work. You do it right, you do it carefully, and you don't cut corners. When it comes to the race car, I see it the same way. You find the approach that works for you, and you refine it carefully. You keep an open mind, and you definitely keep your ears open, but you build from a foundation of what you know. Since I'm the only crew chief I've ever had, and I'm the only owner who has hired the crew chief and the driver, we have a lot of continuity, if you know what I mean. That kind of allows you to find out what works best for you, over the long haul.

"We get lost a little, just like everyone, but a lot of that is parts-related, I think," he said. "Sometimes the clutch stuff, the blowers, or the heads come in the door and they don't act like the old junk you had, so you have to feel it all out and find what makes it happy. Sometimes it works right away, and sometimes you have to peck away at it. I think, over the years with Levi, Ray & Shoup and all our great sponsors, we've always been able to see the light. We just follow our normal routine, and every now and then we're good enough to win, and when we do we earn it all the way, usually beating the top teams in the game along the way. That's the plan every weekend, and that's the approach we'll take into Vegas on Friday. No big changes, no big gambles, and just try to aim at the light at the end of the tunnel."

HE'S COUNTING - The rest of them can say what they want. Matt Hagan is counting points, and he's counting them now, even after only three of 24 races.

"I know it's early in the season, but we are thinking about points. We have to focus on that and try to collect bonus points in qualifying. The championship last year was decided by two points. We just have to dig deep and stay focused," he said. "There's still a lot of racing ahead of us. It's possible to go far with this team. I'm excited. I know we can't win every race but you just have to be there and put yourself in position to win and keep moving forward."

The Virginia cattle farmer said he likes Vegas' vibe: "I really do like Las Vegas. It's the opposite of my life on the farm. The fans are great there. They are so interactive and really engage us. That's cool to see. One unique thing about the track at Vegas is Nellis Air Force Base is right next door. You get to watch some of the baddest guys on the planet go by in their fighter jets. That never gets old. It's just such a cool racetrack."

A.J. TOP K&N HORSEPOWER CHALLENGE SEED - For the first time in his career,  Allen Johnson will lead the K&N Horsepower Challenge field in pursuit of the $50,000 winners share of the bonus-race purse Saturday. Eight drivers, including fan selection Jeg Coughlin Jr., will split the $76,000 purse as the runner-up will earn $10,000, the two semifinalists $3,000 each, and the four first-round finishers $2,500 apiece. The race-within-a-race bonus event showcases the seven drivers who qualified during a 15-race span from the 2012 Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio, through the 2013 Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville, Fla. An online vote determined the final entrant. Besides the $76,000 available in the K&N Horsepower Challenge, K&N paid $45,000 in bonuses to the top Pro Stock qualifiers throughout the 15-race K&N Horsepower Challenge series, including $3,000 to the No. 1 qualifier at each race.

K&N Horsepower Challenge rounds are scheduled for 12:30, 2:15, and 3:25 p.m.

This year’s K&N Horsepower Challenge field features four past winners and four looking for their first victory in this special event. The past winners are Johnson, 2012 champion Vincent Nobile, No. 5 seed Greg Anderson (a four-time winner), and Coughlin (a three-time winner). Seeking a first crown are multi-time runners-up Mike Edwards (four in nine appearances) and Jason Line (three). Erica Enders-Stevens is making her fourth start, and veteran V. Gaines is making his third.

Team Mopar Dodge Avenger driver and the 2008 winner Johnson, making his 10th appearance, led the field at five of the 15 races at which racers could earn K&N Horsepower Challenge points. Coughlin is making his 11th start.

First-round pairings match Johnson with teammate Coughlin, No. 2 Line vs. Gaines, No. 3 Enders-Stevens vs. Nobile, and No. 4 Anderson vs. Edwards.

Other past winners of the K&N Horsepower Challenge are Darrell Alderman, Bruce Allen, Dave Connolly, Bob Glidden, Kurt Johnson, Warren Johnson, Larry Morgan, and Jim Yates.

HOW CAN THAT BE? - Although Mike Edwards left the Gatornationals with the points lead, the national Pro Stock E.T. record, and his third No. 1 qualifying position in as many races, he said he will enter this Las Vegas race as an underdog. "I think we still might have that underdog role because we have not ended the weekend with the NHRA Wally. Three other drivers have been able to secure that," he said. "We have been fast with our I Am Second / Interstate Batteries Camaro, and securing the national Pro Stock E.T.  record is a huge accomplishment for us. But I think to be considered a contender when we get closer to the Chase, we need to put some wins under our belts and continue progressing forward and making solid runs every time down the quarter-mile."

He'll have to start with a venue where he has had u-and-down performances. In his first 18 visits here, he has just six round-wins, never advancing past the second round. In his last eight Las Vegas appearances, he has 15 round-wins, including three event titles (2010 and two in 2011).

"I am not sure why I struggled so much at the track the first nine years of its existence. It was just never kind to me, and I never got the breaks, losing in some of the strangest ways. Then in 2009, my luck started to change. We didn't win either race that year, but we qualified No. 1 at both events, so I knew something was changing," Edwards said. "Then in 2010, we won the spring race and then backed it up in 2011 by winning by the spring and fall race, while earning three more low qualifier positions. Last year, we qualified well in both races, No. 2 in the spring and No. 3 in the fall, but again that pesky track stopped us early in eliminations. I think a lot of teams are up and down in the desert because of the different conditions we face and that track set at some elevation. Things you can do at sea level do not always work and you just have to stay on top of all the elements or it will bite you."

ACED HIS TEST - Shane Gray clocked a series of 6.4-second passes in his Jerry Haas-built Camaro last week -- including a 6.457 elapsed time that unofficially exceeded the Pro Stock class' national record -- in testing. "A lot of it was the weather. It was just really good," Gray said. "But we've changed a lot of things on our Gray Motorsports Chevy Camaro, and I think we're learning how to run the engines a little bit better now. A bunch of little things are starting to add up to something big." That includes improving his official career-best E.T. of 6.510 seconds. "I'm not going to lie to you: it felt really good to go that quick out there," Gray said. "Now what we need is the opportunity to do that at a race. We ran real fast, but what matters is bringing that to the racetrack, and here real quick I'm hoping we see that happen."


PRESSURE? WHAT PRESSURE? - When Greg Anderson and Las Vegas businessman Ken Black formed the KB/Summit Racing Team, Black told him, "I'll be happy as long as you do well in Vegas." Anderson said he took that to heart -- and maybe he turned it into too much pressure at first. He said those words from Black "stuck with us, and starting off that way at his home track [in 2002] was a real heartbreaker." He failed to qualify that first time. He has made up for it in spades, winning here seven times, more than any other NHRA pro driver. But because of that initial DNQ, Anderson said, he and teammate Jason Line "have spent a lot of time testing in Las Vegas since then, and we've won a lot of high-pressure, high-stakes, very pivotal and very important races there. It started out rough for us, but we were able to turn it around through hard work and create some special, special moments at that racetrack. We'll be looking forward to more of that this weekend." Now, he said, "I'm going embrace that extra pressure. Hopefully, that will inspire us." Their rivals must be thinking, "Oh, swell." But they can take heart. Neither KB/ Summit Camaro driver has won in the past four visits here. Anderson was the last to do it, beating Line in the final at the fall 2010 race. Line was the last of the KB / Summit team to win this spring race, doing so in 2008. Forget al the statistics. Anderson said, "Las Vegas is just a fun place to race, and this is always a great race that is very important to us," said Anderson. "Now, with the K&N Horsepower Challenge the same weekend as the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, it adds to it even more. That's what Las Vegas should be. It should be right up there as one of the majors in NHRA drag racing, and this weekend should be extra exciting. It seems like when there is a lot on the line, when there is extra pressure and there should be all kinds of reasons for distraction, that's when this Summit Racing team does best."

Line is looking at history here. "The Summit Racing team has been really good in Las Vegas more than once, and we've certainly been working hard to improve our program lately so that we can build on the success that we've had in the past," he said. "We've been focused on gaining performance, and Team Summit has done quite a bit of testing since we left the last race in Gainesville. I can't tell you that our Chevy Camaros will be the fastest cars at the racetrack, but we're going to give it our best attempt. Hopefully, all of our hard work will show once we get to Las Vegas.

"Both of the races at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are extremely special to us because Ken and Judy are here, and this race is even more special because it's a Summit Racing race," Line said. "The truth is, it's wildly important for us to do well at every race we go to, but we really want to do well here for the Summit Racing folks, who are so good to us. We'd like them to feel that they're getting a bang for their buck, and we want to make them proud; the best way to do that is to perform well everywhere, and especially at the races that they sponsor."