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

 

 

 

SUNDAY NOTEBOOK -

FLAMING SCHUMACHER TAKES POINTS LEAD, GETS THIRD TOP FUEL TROPHY - Even with a dramatic trail of flames and shrapnel stabbing through the Sunday breeze at Route 66 Raceway, Long Grove, Ill., racer Tony Schumacher won the Top Fuel trophy at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Nationals at close-to-home Joliet.

Matt Hagan, his Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car colleague, captured the Funny Car victory to give the team its third double-up accomplishment this year and 37th since 2003. Both lead their respective standings as the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour shifts to Norwalk, Ohio, for the July 4-7 Summit Racing Equipment Nationals. 

Schumacher celebrated his 72nd National Hot Rod Association triumph and third this year as he and Hagan shared the winners circle with Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Michael Ray (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

Schumacher was unshaken by the engine explosion in the U.S. Army Dragster in the last 100 feet of the 1,000-foot course. As he climbed from his car following his winning 3.930-second, 269.29-mph pass he said, "When the win light comes on, it doesn't matter."

Later he said, "We spent some money. We definitely hurt it."

He said he reassured crew chief Mike Green and the rest of the team, who had been upset that the engine blew up. "Hey -- we were going to blow it up if we won or we lost. Might as well win it," he told them. "At that point, it's blown up, man."

Schumacher used the bully pulpit to praise again the cockpit canopy that he said will ensure he'll be much less sore than when he experienced a similar engine concussion in the first round here last year.

"I hit the gas, and it had a cylinder out pretty early. What happens is you're trying to make the car go down the racetrack on seven cylinders, and it gets lean and it just murders itself. I'm so thankful we have that canopy on that car. That concussion would have been 10 times worse without it. I'm definitely going to feel it tomorrow, but I felt it last time for a lot longer [than I will]."     

The seven-time NHRA champion beat Clay Millican, the six-time International Hot Rod Association Top Fuel titlist who was seeking his first NHRA victory in 159 tries. Millican lost traction in the Parts Plus Dragster and clocked a 4.094-second elapsed time at 171.77 mph.

"Most everybody who gets his first win, it's against me," Schumacher said. "And we said, 'This is not going to be an ongoing trait. We're going to stop it right now.'

"I don't care if Clay wins a race -- just not today, at my home track, when we have such a chance to extend a points lead that will be valuable when we start the Countdown. We're going for a championship," he said.

Schumacher hosted 14 teachers from Country Meadows Elementary School, where his and wife Cara's three children have attended classes. He sat in the grandstands with the first-time drag-racing spectators during qualifying earlier in the week, and Sunday treated them to his NHRA-record 125th career final round, his sixth in 12 races this season, and his fourth victory at Route 66 Raceway.

While Schumacher was in his sixth final this year, Millican, of Bob Vandergriff Racing, was making his sixth overall and his first since March at Gainesville, Fla.
 
But Millican his Chicago ties as well, for his first fulltime Top Fuel driving gig was with team owner Peter Lehman, a city businessman who met Millican when he wrote a term paper about him for one of his classes at Northwestern University.

The Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will move on to Norwalk, Ohio, for the July 4-7 Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.


HAGAN WALKS MURDERER'S ROW EN ROUTE TO CHICAGO WINNER'S CIRCLE - Matt Hagan extended his Funny Car points lead with a win over John Force at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries in Joliet, IL.

Hagan's 4.065/315.35 defeated Force's 4.113/304.80 in a close final round to complete four rounds of wins against strong opponents in Chicago.

Hagan first had to knock out two of his teammates in the form of Johnny Gray and Jack Beckman and then a peaking Bob Tasca III in the semifinals.

“We went through a lot of tough cars this weekend, between two teammates and Tasca and everybody else,” he said. “I don't know how you could stack them up much tougher than they were for us.

“To lay down a 4.065, that was pretty stout. The car just dug the whole way, it went 1-to-1 out there, you could feel it pulling another G and you just knew it was going to be a good run. I have so much confidence in the car, the car ran well all day on Sunday; it was pretty much flawless out there.”

Hagan may not have been invited to Saturday night's three-second party, but the Christiansburg, VA driver preferred the Wally to a time card.

“I will take a trophy over a three-second run any day,” he said. “We kind of missed out last night, the timing lights cut off on us and we didn't get to pull down a three-second run like everyone else. The clutch was nuked in the thing when we had to do a double burnout, so we started off the day in a slump a little bit, feeling like we missed out.”

With the Joliet event marking the halfway point of the season, championship talk has begun and Hagan's name is being mentioned frequently. The former NHRA Mello Yello Series champion is trying not to get ahead of himself.

“We try to stay humble, I know this is one of the most humbling sports I've ever participated in,” he said. “These race cars can humble you so fast. Things happen and they change fast out there.

“I keep believing in my guys and they are believing in me. We are in championship form and we just need to go out there and get it done.”

It was Hagan's eighth career victory and third of the season. It was also the third time this season Don Schumacher Racing has won both Top Fuel and Funny Car classes at the same event.

Force at least had the consolation of his third straight final-round appearance and a move up to third place in the points, leapfrogging daughter Courtney and Johnny Gray, who both suffered first-round losses.

Force's round wins came over Tony Pedregon and Del Worsham in the early rounds before a bizarre semifinal against Ron Capps where Capps got wrapped up in the parachutes of Force's Mustang as the two were exiting the track.


COUGHLIN CONTINUES MASTERY OF ROUTE 66 - Jeg Coughlin earned his second victory of the season at Route 66 Raceway Sunday, running away from a loose Greg Anderson in the final of Pro Stock at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries.

Coughlin's 6.603/209.85 in the Jegs/Mopar Dodge Avenger was his slowest pass of eliminations but when Anderson turned out of the groove early in the Summit Camaro it was more than enough to take the stripe in a battle of the mail order parts companies.

“When I let the clutch out it didn't feel the best that it had all day,” he said. “By the time I got it into second and third gear I was just cracking the whip on that thing as hard as I could. I didn't know he (Greg) was struggling next to me.”

Anderson's run to the final was thoroughly earned with three straight holeshot victories coming against V Gaines, Erica Enders-Stevens and championship leader Mike Edwards.

Never has a driver won an event in Pro Stock completely on holeshots, so that first will be left for another day.

Coughlin said Anderson's efforts at the tree were ahead of his own, but he was still able to take the Wally back to Delaware, Ohio.

“Today wasn't one of my better days reaction-time-wise behind the wheel but last I checked it turned out perfect,” he said. “Greg was driving his heart out over there. His ETs weren't quite matching up with his potential.”

With Coughlin's home race coming up at Norwalk, he is talking up the Mopar outfit's chances.

“To have the success we have had here recently with winning Topeka, Allen winning in Epping and us winning here, I see no reason why he, I or even Vincent shouldn't pull out of Norwalk with a huge win,” he said.

Coughlin eliminated Bristol winner Roger Brogdon in round one, before taking out Jason Line in round two and team mate Allen Johnson in the semifinals. Johnson needed an engine change before the semifinals and that may have been a distraction, giving Coughlin the edge in the stable.

“He had a motor that wasn't 100% happy and in Pro Stock everything needs to be 100%,” he said.

With the Jegs Allstars running at the same event for sportsman racers, Coughlin thinks the success of some of those competitors might have rubbed off on his team.

“The Jegs Allstars was a huge, huge event,” he said. “We put a lot of effort into this weekend and that has been a little ingredient to our success.”

With his weekend's efforts, Coughlin moved to second in the points, swapping his third position with Johnson.

'PREACHER' RAY DELIVERS FOR SOVEREIGN-STAR RACING - Michael Ray already wore the label of Pro Stock Motorcycle winner Sunday at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Nationals.

But the Sovereign-Star Racing Buell rider took on another role at Route 66 Raceway following his second National Hot Rod Association victory in three races and his third overall.

He became a preacher, spreading the gospel of consistency.

"I've been preaching it, and now we're practicing what we preach: Consistency and momentum is how you achieve the goal of winning a national event. And ultimately, at the end of the year, when it really does count in the Countdown, I think we're putting ourselves in a really strong position to make a championship run," Ray said after acing the team's third consecutive final-round appearance.

"I couldn’t be more excited. This is just such an awesome, awesome feeling," he said, happily announcing this marked Star Racing's 80th victory. 

That should make team owner George Bryce feel much better. He has been suffering from the flu this past weekend, and was exhausted by the time he saw Ray defeat former boss and Sovereign-Star rival Matt Smith.

Ray used an .008-second reaction time to defeat No. 1 qualifier Smith with a 6.986-second, 191.29-mph pass.

Smith countered with a 6.992-second elapsed time at 190.22 mph aboard his Viper Motorcycle Company/Matt Smith Racing Buell.

It spoiled an otherwise perfect weekend for Smith, who closed with low E.T. (6.908 seconds) and top speed (193.82) of the meet.

He was making his first final-round appearance of the season but second in a row for his King, N.C.-headquartered Viper Motorcycle Company/Matt Smith Racing. Teammate John Hall contributed a victory the previous Sunday at Epping, N.H., to the modest streak.

Smith's last victory was in June 2011 at Englishtown, N.J.
  
He won against previous-week winner John Hall, teammate Scotty Pollacheck, and Hector Arana Sr. to give Sovereign-Star Racing its third consecutive final-round appearance. Ray won this June at Englishtown, N.J., and Pollacheck, was runner-up to Hector Arana Jr. at Houston in April.

Ray rode for Smith last season and with him recorded at Dallas his first victory, momentous because it interrupted the Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson team's monster streak and made him the only non-Harley-Davidson rider since late 2011 to win.

"I think everyone needs to take note and start sending their motors to Star Racing and get some horsepower from us," Ray said. "There's not a better crew chief out there. There's nobody that's got more wins than Star Racing, other than Vance & Hines. And I think that if Star Racing wouldn't have had to take a break after the 2008 season, we would have well over 100 Wallys right now. We're definitely going in the right direction."

Ray is second in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings to Hector Arana Jr.

The Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is going east. The next stop on the tour is Norwalk, Ohio, for the July 4-7 Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.

SCHRIEFER RACES FOR DAUGHTER AS HE LIVES HIS PASSION - John Force, the 15-time Funny Car champion and National Hot Rod Association icon, races with his daughters. Justin Schriefer, the part-time journeyman Funny Car racer from Grant Park, Ill., races in memory of his daughter.

This past weekend's O'Reilly Auto Parts Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, at Joliet, Ill., was just another showcase of the sport's diversity -- and sometimes the disparity between the resource-rich and simply the passion-rich. More often than not, such as last Friday night, it shows in the standings and qualifying order. Force was seeking his 143rd No. 1 spot.  Schriefer was last in the order, unqualified.

Force has the funding. Schriefer has the fun.

But these days, Schriefer's racing inspiration is daughter Ericka Lynn Schriefer, who died three years ago at age 24 in a snowboarding accident in Colorado.

"I am a racer out of passion," Schriefer said. "I thoroughly miss my daughter more and more every day. It's still very tough. I go out [to the cemetery] and see her all the time. One day I'll bring that Wally home for her."

That didn't happen at Joliet, for he fell just .239 of a second short of making the field of 16 Saturday, conceding that bump spot to Chicagoland pal Bob Bode, a Barrington, Ill., resident.

Dale Creasy Jr., of Beecher (Will County) knows that Schriefer's quest poses a steep challenge. He has won a couple of International Hot Rod Association championships but has competed against the "haves" of the NHRA for years on his shoestring budget, and -- speaking for himself, as well -- he said, "It's going to take sheer luck.

"As far as horsepower goes, we just have to run our race and hope they don't run their race. I don’t wish any bad luck on them, but if they go out there and smoke their tires and we just run our 4.20 or whatever we're going to run that day, then we can beat them. But trying to outrun them? It's not going to happen. We just don't have what they have. They just have more technology and people. But they can be beaten. That's what we're here to do."
  
Schriefer and Creasy and the other racers in their position don't regard the class' top drivers and teams as the enemy. 

"All the racers, they're great people. Even the big guys help us behind the doors. We're always going over there and pestering them for something," Schriefer, who was the fourth driver in 12 races this season in the Paul Richards-owned Monte Carlo, said. "They try to give you some guidance, so that helps us keep going. We all have to stick together."

He said Jack Beckman, Tim Wilkerson, and personnel from both the John Force Racing and Don Schumacher Racing teams always are gracious to help. He said that after Ericka's accident, Beckman led the charge in the pits, handing out memory stickers honoring her and encouraging the racers to display them on their cars. He said Beckman often comes through the staging lanes and gives him a thumbs-up before his runs. 

"It's the passion of it all, to be here with the fans," Schriefer said, trying to explain why he takes on the hassle of being David among the drag-racing Goliaths. "If we're not here, the car counts wouldn’t be up. We all have our fan bases."

He's well-known and well-liked in the pits because of his experience since 1990 on Dale Creasy Sr.'s team through the years -- being a crew member for drivers Creasy Jr., Gary Bolger, Cory Lee, Terry Haddock, John Lawson, and Tom Motrey.

He has maintained a friendship, as well, with Paul Richards that dates back to their IHRA days.

Schriefer got the chance in 2006 to drive for the Creasy Sr. team and drove up until the end of the 2012 season. Earlier this year he learned team owner Creasy Sr. had decided not to race. So Richards offered Schriefer the chance to drive his car, the oldest in the class, at the Route 66 Raceway in front of his friends and family.

Jon Capps, Paul Lee, and most recently Dave Richards at Epping, N.H., had the seat well-warmed-up. 

Other racers, including Chicago legends Chris Karamesines and Luigi Novelli, who compete sporadically in the Top Fuel class, have a give-and-give relationship with Schriefer. "Just to be able to say you can go over and talk to them. And I've helped them with their cars. I'll always remember that I actually helped some legends."

Creasy Jr. said he understands the value of the independents banding together and always is happy to help Schriefer with advice or parts.

"He's a local guy and he's trying to do the same thing we're doing," Creasy Jr. said. "Anybody that's dumb enough to get in one of these race cars, I'm going to support him. That's what they said about me."

Richards and Schriefer received financial support this past weekend from Renzo Excavating and associate sponsors Tool Masters, Rad Rides by Troy, Kankakee Truck Wash, Acme Auto Parts, Westside Tractor, Local 150 Operating Engineers, Felpro, Champion Spark Plugs, Hogswipe Waterless Detailer, Joliet Suspension, McLeod Racing, and Florida Brake and Truck, as well as the Doubletree Hotel Chicago-Oak Brook.

Of his better-funded colleagues, Schriefer said, "They’re some incredible people to be around. We're just like a community."

"It's just that money's hard to come by these days," Schrieffer, an excavator by trade, said. "If we have to pull some from our pockets, we do that.

But he's used to digging deep, and he said he's optimistic his tune-up could prevail "when it's hot and nasty outside. Those guys make so much power that they have a little harder time to de-tune them, to get down to our level. Every dog has its day. Our day will be there sometime."

In Chicago there’s a familiar saying, popularized by Cubs fans: "There's always next year."

 

 

 

 

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK -

TOP FUEL

LUCAS HEADS INTO CHICAGO SUNDAY AS NO. 1 - On a brutal day of Top Fuel qualifying at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries, Morgan Lucas had to earn his stripes as the track record copped blow after blow in a spectacular final qualifying session.

When the dust had settled, Lucas' 3.737/322.19 time from the Geico dragster held off a valiant 3.737 from local favorite Tony Schumacher.

In total, seven cars ran underneath the previous track record set by Schumacher at 3.763 seconds.

The track record wasn't the only thing taking the punches when Lucas realized he was number one.

“We were sitting in the front seat of our support vehicle, listening on the radio waiting to hear. It's been so long since we were number one qualifier that when we heard the last number (of Schumacher's pass) we punched the roof of the thing, jumping up and down not realizing what we were doing but thank God the car is built well,” he said.

Lucas, who is currently placed seventh in the NHRA Mello Yello Series, confessed the team has not had a race car suited to night conditions.

“I was sitting in the water box thinking if we just run 3.7 anything I would be really happy with that,” he said. “The car doesn't seem to respond to night runs lately, to be honest I don't know what the problem was and right now I don't care.”

The answer may lie with a range of changes the team made in the workshop ahead of arriving at Route 66 Raceway.

“The guys made a ton of moves coming into this race,” he said. “(There were) clutch moves, we finally got some parts we have been waiting for in the supercharger department - things that have been ailing us for a little while. Something in the past couple of days clicked for us.”

Lucas will face Terry McMillen in round-one on Sunday, who rounded out a quick field with a 3.863.

Second-placed Schumacher, meanwhile, was left to ponder a first-round match-up against dark horse Kalitta Motorsports driver David Grubnic.

“I just think it's funny you can go and run the quickest run in the history of your career and end up with a Kalitta car,” he said with a nervous laugh upon exit of the U.S. Army dragster in the last session.

TRACK RECORDS FALL - Tony Schumacher hinted Friday night that Saturday's forecast conditions could produce some even better performance numbers than his leading 3.772-second elapsed time on the 1,000-foot course. "There are a lot of smart people," he said.

So it was no surprise that in Saturday's first session, the track record fell twice. Moreover, it was no shock that some of them came from his own organization and from Kalitta Motorsports.

Spencer Massey, in the Phil Shuler-tuned Don Schumacher Racing Battery Extender Dragster, reset the mark with his 3.758-second pass, but Doug Kalitta came along in the Mac Tools Dragster and trumped that with a 3.753-second, 328.22-mph blast that reset both ends of the track record.

The weekend opened with Schumacher owning the quickest E.T. at 3.763 seconds from last season and Massey fastest speed at 326.79 mph, also from June 2012.

That flurry Saturday continued though the final session. Bob Vandergriff zipped past all of them with a record-setting 3.742-second pass at 324.28 mph. He lowered his career-best E.T. by five-hundredths of a second.

His grip on the No. 1 position didn't last long, for Morgan Lucas came along right way and cranked out a run of 3.737 seconds at 322.19 mph. It wasn't his personal best, though, for he recorded a 3.733 at Reading last fall. But it certainly was stout enough on arguably the season's most exciting qualifying day to take the No. 1 slot for the GEICO/Lucas Oil team.

YOU'RE IN THE ARMY, FOR NOW - Tommy Johnson Jr. was pressed into action this weekend to fill the position of an absent crewmember. In the span of a month, Johnson has traveled to Australia to drive a Top Fuel dragster and returned to drive a Nostalgia Funny Car. He's also filled the role of ESPN pit reporter. (Walter Bullard Photo)

HANG ON - Luigi Novelli, a native of nearby Crete, Ill., took one of the wildest rides of his long career in Saturday's first qualifying session. He started out in the right lane, but his Punch Press Repair took him into the left, just behind Pat Dakin. As Novelli crossed the center line, he slipped between the sets of timing cones and didn’t hit anything. Dakin improved on his Friday elapsed time of 7.714 seconds with a 3.873, and it spared him a disastrous result on the racetrack. Novelli was 0-for-2 Saturday night and missed the field, getting out of the groove in his final chance to qualify.

ANOTHER OOPS - In the next pairing, the parachute on Dave Grubnic's Kalitta Motorsports-owned Optima Batteries Dragster failed to deploy. However, he was able to slow down and make the turnoff just before the sand trap (which happens to be longer than the ones at some other tracks)

EEK! IT'S THE GREEK! - Chris "The Greek" Karamesines made the crowd gasp at the outset of the final session. Leaving the starting line way too early was the least of his worries. He blasted on down the track and banged into the left guard wall before getting a Safety Safari escort from the track.

BIGGEST LEAP - Clay Millican, driving the Bob Vandergriff Racing Parts Plus Dragster, made the most progress in the first Saturday session, picking up 12 spots in the lineup, from 17th to fifth with a 3.789-second, 320.81 mph. Antron Brown was 10 places better off early Saturday, trading 19th place for ninth.

LADIES ON FIRE - As they ran side-by-side in the final qualifying session Saturday, Brittany Force in the Castrol EDGE Dragster and Leah Pruett in the Dote Racing Dragster put on a thrilling show with E.T.s of 3.913 and 3.834 seconds, respectively -- and then some fireworks for the crowd.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - AGAIN! - Celebrating his 20th birthday in the United States has its advantages for Santino Rapisarda. The young Australian crew chief for Larry Dixon at Rapisarda Autosport International, whose Sunday, June 30, birthday already has been unfolding here during Saturday in North America, planned to celebrate his birthday with a party in the team's hospitality area Saturday night. Of course, why not have another party when it's June 30 here in the U.S.? So the Rapisarda pits will be rocking again Sunday night in honor of Santino.

DNQs - Missing the show were T.J., Zizzo, Sidnei Frigo, Pat Dakin, Tim Cullinan, and Luigi Novelli.


FUNNY CAR

CAPPS TOPS FC QUALIFYING WITH THREE-SECOND RUN - Ron Capps used a stellar 3.988/320.28, the third quickest run in the history of the sport, to pace the Funny Car field as qualifying concluded at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries in Joliet, IL.
“Candy shop conditions”, as Jack Beckman described them, saw three-second passes become commonplace with four drivers running into the zone.

Bob Tasca's identical 3.988, at a slower 316.97mph, held for second, Beckman's 3.993 for third and Del Worsham's 3.999 for fourth.

Despite a win at Route 66 Raceway in 2005, Capps explained that it has not often been a happy hunting ground and has just been one of those venues where he has never found his comfort zone.

“It hasn't been one of those places, some place where you get really comfortable as a driver,” he said. “We've missed for the last few years so I think maybe it is time we can hit it tomorrow.”

Capps said crew chief Rahn Tobler does not often tell him to hold on, so when he did, Capps listened.

“When he does say it it really means something. I do hang on,” he said. “I kind of reach down to pull the belts a little bit tighter. I knew it was going to be a pretty good run.

“Tobler had our 3.96 tune-up in our car from Englishtown during the day, and it made it to half-track and then pulled them loose. We looked at the computer and it was right with the 3.96.”

Capps was down as another fan of Saturday night qualifying, saying it drew on some strong memories of growing up around the sport.

“It's great for these fans, to have two night sessions, just like when I was a kid, Funny Cars at night makes it a whole lot better,” he said.

Capps will be seeded against Bob Bode for round one, the Barrington, IL driver holding the 4.141 bump spot.

Perhaps more fired up than Capps was Tasca, with the excitable Rhode Islander giving an emotional top-end interview.

“That's like winning Indy, baby!” he said. “We've dug so deep for this run. I couldn't see nothing! I saw the two yellow lights on either side; I thought I was in my lane. I didn't want to step off the throttle.”

Two more cars that had three-second potential were those of Robert Hight and Matt Hagan, but a bizarre situation in the second-to-last pairing of the final qualifying session perhaps curtailed their performances.

The staging beams failed after the drivers had completed their burnouts, leading to a shut-off call and a return at the end of the session, where both smoked the tires 100-feet out.

THREES!!! - Ron Capps unleashed the first three-second pass of the year, driving the NAPA Dodge Charger to a 3.988-second elapsed time at 320.88 mph. That pass was the third-quickest in Funny Car history.

Bob Tasca III, driving the Motorcraft/QuickLane Shelby Ford Mustang, came along later in the session and matched Capps' 3.988. Capps kept the No. 1 position because his speed trumped Tasca's 316.97 mph.

"I couldn’t see nothin'!" the animated Tasca declared after climbing from his car. "It felt so good I didn't want to step off the throttle. We dug so deep for this."

Capps became the eighth pro driver Saturday to set a track record. He and crew chief Rahn Tobler still claim the quickest with Capps' 3.964-second run last June at Englishtown, N.J.

Tobler said the team "stumbled a little bit with the tune-up earlier this year." But he said this E.T. "will work right now." Said Capps, "I'm just glad it stuck. I knew it was going to be a pretty good run. It's unfortunate we didn’t get to run last night. Conditions would have been pretty good."

Del Worsham and Jack Beckman also joined Funny Car's three-second club. The hard-luck story here was Worsham's. He ran in the three-second range -- and didn't receive any qualifying bonus points.

"It's just stunning to see this," Beckman said. "This track is so phenomenal that we can throw everything at it with the tune-up and it sticks."

ROCKETS TO RECORD - John Force proved his own point from Friday that at Chicago "you have killer conditions and a killer track." He eclipsed Matt Hagan's three-year-old Route 66 Raceway E.T. record at 4.021 seconds on the 1,000-foot course. Hagan did grab the track speed mark Friday night with a 317.19 mph pass that erased Jack Beckman's 2010 speed mark of 314.61.

CRUZ HELPS CAUSE - With Snap-on Tools executives Nick Pinchuk, chairman and CEO of Snap-on Incorporated, and Tom Kassouf, president of Snap-on Tools Group, on hand, two-time Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon presented a $50,000 check Saturday afternoon on behalf of his sponsor to Honor Flight Network. The non-profit organization transports American military veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at their memorials. Snap-on Incorporated announced its sponsorship of Honor Flight Network.

"We at Snap-on join the Honor Flight Network in recognizing our veterans who have given so much," Pinchuk said, while highlighting the special Honor Flight wrap on Pedregon's car this weekend. "We're also sponsoring a series of special Honor Flights for Snap-on veterans, both associates and franchisees, who will get the chance to visit Washington, D.C., and see in person the memorials erected in their honor. On behalf of Snap-on, a great American company, and Cruz and the entire team, we thank our veterans for protecting our freedom and for making the America we enjoy today possible."

Honor Flight Network Chairman James McLaughlin and veteran and retired Snap-on associates and franchisees attended the ceremony.

Cruz Pedregon will start 13th, just behind brother Tony Pedregon.

 

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE - Courtney Force avoided the first DNQ of her career, making the lineup in her last chance. She took her Traxxas Ford Mustang to a 4.042-second E.T., as Dale Creasy Jr. crossed the center line behind her. So as stunningly well as things went last week for Epping, N.H., Funny Car winner Courtney Force, this race posed some serious problems for her. She was unqualified when she rolled to the starting line for the first Saturday chance to make the field. But her car wouldn't fire, and her crew pushed her off the track. Crew chief Ron Douglas volunteered immediately afterward that he had "not a clue" what went wrong. On top of that, it came in front of some special company. IRL IZOD IndyCar Series driver Graham Rahal was on hand, hanging out Saturday in the John Force Racing pits. The problem, the team reported later, was an electrical malfunction.

PAIRINGS - Ron Capps and Bob Bode will square off in the first round Sunday. So will Robert Hight and Chad Head, Del Worsham and Cruz Pedregon, John Force and Tony Pedregon, Bob Tasca and Jeff Arend, Courtney Force and Tim Wilkerson, Jack Beckman and Alexis DeJoria, and Matt Hagan and Johnny Gray.

DNQs - Justin Schriefer, Terry Haddock, Todd Lesenko, and Dale Creasy Jr. will sit out this one.


PRO STOCK

EDWARDS NAILS DOWN NEW RECORD EN ROUTE TO ANOTHER NO. 1 - It was a track record that never stood a chance.

As predicted by Mike Edwards on Friday, cool conditions came to Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL and allowed Pro Stock teams to step up performances in a big way.

Four teams went under the former track record of 6.586, including Edwards on his top qualifying pass of 6.542/210.64 (which also earned the speed mark), Allen Johnson with a 6.556, Jeg Coughlin with a 6.565 and former record holder Greg Anderson on a 6.569.

At a venue where heat is expected, track temperatures well under 100-degrees and some relatively decent air kept the naturally aspirated brigade happy and gave Edwards his 10th top qualifying honor of the season and 51st of his career.

As well as a beneficial environment, some new metal underneath the hood of the I Am Second Camaro also contributed to Edwards' run.

“The guys at the engine shop did a tremendous job. We came out here with a totally different combination,” he said. “It looks like it runs pretty good. It looks promising.

“The conditions kept getting better and better. We tried to just go off what the conditions were doing. The track got really tight and cold, we just made the right choices. This place is just so phenomenal on the starting line.”

With a little more warmth expected to be back in the sky for Sunday, Edwards says it will be a different situation for round one, where he will face Illinois local Steven Spiess.

“Tomorrow is another day, the sun is supposed to be out. We're maintaining what we've got, we're racing the track and the conditions,” he said.

While the Mopar pair of Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin occupied the two and three spots, Anderson was perhaps the happiest in fourth, sensing some direction in the Summit Camaro.

“It's great to race in these kind of conditions, I think we should race in the night all the time,” he said. “We'll try and do it again tomorrow and who knows, we might be on our way to a winner's circle finally.”

EVEN BETTER - Mike Edwards led the field in Friday's abbreviated qualifying at 6.602 seconds, 208.68 mph. But he iced it Saturday in the first session by lowering the track E.T. record to 6.570. That broke Greg Anderson's 6.586 from 2011. Edwards already had the track speed mark coming in, at 201.08 mph, but he almost topped that with his 210.05 Saturday. But that was just the beginning of the last-minute jockeying.

Anderson swiped back the E.T. record in the final session, covering the quarter-mile in 6.569 seconds in the KB/Summit.*** "I think we should race at night all the time. I love it," Anderson said.

But even before Anderson got that out of his mouth, Allen Johnson had moved ahead of him, driving his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger to a 6.556-second E.T. But he said he "probably left a hundred on track" and guessed he wouldn’t end the day with the record.

He was right. Edwards reasserted his dominance in the class' final qualifying pairing, clocking a 6.542, 210.64 that ensured both ends of the track record in cementing his No. 1 spot in the order.

MOVIN' ON UP - Mark Martino moved up seven spots in the first Saturday session into the top half of the field. Erica Enders-Stevens gained a couple of places to sit No. 2 before the final opportunity to knock Edwards off point. Steve Kent and Dave River were the two on the outside looking in as the final session started.

BECAUSE I SAID SO - Larry Morgan, in the Lucas Oil Ford, said Saturday night, "This could possibly be the best-prepared track we've seen all year. I say that because my car's going straight."

PAIRINGS - No. 1 Mike Edwards will take on No. 16 Steve Spiess, a former co-owner of this facility. Other match-ups are Vincent Nobile-Greg Stanfield, Greg Anderson-V Gaines, Erica Enders-Stevens - Rickie Jones, Allen Johnson-Steve Kent, Shane Gray-Larry Morgan, Jeg Coughlin-Rodger Brogdon, Jason Line-Mark Martino.

DNQs - Mark Hogan and Dave River missed the cut.



PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

SMITH SAVES BEST FOR LAST IN PSM QUALIFYING - Matt Smith saved his best until last in Pro Stock Motorcycle, gapping the field with a 6.908 in the final qualifying session of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries in Joliet, IL.

However, his reward will be a first-round match-up with three time NHRA Mello Yello Series champion Eddie Krawiec, who occupied the final place in the field on another tough day for the factory Harley Davidson team.

Smith said after much experience of Krawiec beating up on him, it might finally be time for some revenge.

“Eddie has had my number for the last two years, when they had all that advantage with the motor combination, and he has beaten me every time basically,” he said.

“I know they are struggling a little bit but they will figure it out. They'll be back; they just need to go through that learning curve like we had to.

“They're running good sixty foots but they're not running nowhere else down the race track. They don't look like they got the power that they had in the first (event) of the year.”

Power is not something Smith's own Viper S&S Buell is lacking, recording top speed of every qualifying session. And that power has been needed to get off the tight Joliet surface.

“This track is so good on the starting line that you really have to get after it, we have just been bogging and bogging and bogging,” he said. “We got after it in Q4, I did the same thing on Angie's bike and we were one and two of the round.

“For her to go that fast and be number two of the session, I guess I kind of stole the light from her because she would have been low of the round if I hadn't done that.

“We really had to make a lot of changes through low gear with timing and fuel to adapt for this track.”

The final session saw lots of bumping and shuffling back and forth in the field. Steve Johnson was the first to make the conversion from unqualified to race day competitor, bumping out Jimmy Underdahl who came back in the very next pairing to push out Joe DeSantis.

DeSantis had something to say about that, showing no ill effects in his first race back since shoulder surgery last year and running a 7.033 to earn his place and leave Countdown contender Underdahl, Michael Phillips and Wesley Wells out in the cold.

NO BIKE RECORDS - This is the only pro class in which no track records changed. The E.T. record still belongs to Hector Arana Sr. at 6.884 seconds. Michael Phillips, who set the speed standard at 195.68 mph in 2010, failed to qualify Saturday. Matt Smith will lead the field Sunday with a 6.908-second E.T.

BALD AND BEAUTIFUL - A new crew member at Viper/Matt Smith Racing volunteered at the previous race, at Epping, N.H., to shave his head if the team won. John Hall captured the Wally trophy against Adam Arana, so he was a man of his word and went bald. Matt Smith told the story after taking the No. 1 qualifying position Saturday, then shared something his wife said. "Angie said, 'If I win a race, I'm going to shave my head.' I'm going to hold her to it. She'll look like G.I. Jane," he said.

FIRST-ROUND LINEUPS - In addition to Matt Smith's eyebrow-raising match-up with Eddie Krawiec, the bike class pairings pit LE Tonglet against Jerry Savoie, Hector Arana Jr. against Steve Johnson, Angie Smith against Shawn Gann, and Scotty Pollacheck against Andrew Hines. Other matches for the opening round are John Hall-Michael Ray, Hector Arana Sr.-Joe DeSantis, Adam Arana-Mike Berry.

DNQs - Jim Underdahl and Wes Wells failed to qualify, along with Phillips.

 

SPORTSMAN

DIV. 3 DOMINATES - In what was nothing short of a landslide victory, the team from Jay Hullinger's North Central Division won the overall team title in the JEGS Allstars event for the seventh time and first since 2009. The win moves the Division 3 team into a tie with the Division 1 team with seven overall victories.

Led by Top Dragster champion James Monroe, and Top Sportsman winner John Scali Jr., the Division 3 team racked up and impressive score of 1,300 points and never had to sweat as the second-place team from the Southeast Division finished well behind with 1,000 markers despite wins by Super Stock racer Mike Crutchfield and Super Comp ace Sherman Adcock.

The Division 3 team put seven of their eight representatives into the semifinals and four of those drivers moved on to the final round, which all but locked up the title. Heading into the final rounds, the only way that Division 3 could lose the title was if all four finalists lost and all three Division 2 finalists won their respective races.

Any lingering drama was over quickly as Monroe defeated Division 5s Phil Unruh in the Top Dragster final with a perfect 6.43 on his 6.43 dial. Unruh was not far behind with a 6.45 on his 6.45 dial. A few pairs later, Scali Jr. put an exclamation point on the championship with a final round win over Division 2 rival Jeffrey Barker in Top Sportsman.

Slate Cummings, retuning as the blocker in Super Stock and Stock, had a great weekend as he reached the final round in both classes. Cummings won the Stock final by beating reigning and two-time champ Brad Burton with a 10.48 on his 10.47 dial. A few minutes later, Cummings returned for the Super Stock final and lost a close when he broke out by three-thousandths against Division 2s Mike Crutchfield.

Adam Bowdish picked up a win for the Division 6 team after opponent Greg Kamplain of Division 3 broke in the final. Division 3 posted another runner-up finish when defending Super Street champion Ricky Shipp lost to Casey Grubb of Division 1, 10.90 to 10.92 and another when Mike Shelton lost a double breakout final against perennial Allstar Sherman Adcock Jr. of Division 2.

A week after posting a win and a runner-up at the inaugural event in Epping, N.H., Division 1's Mike Sawyer reached the Super Gas final round but lost when he redlighted against Kevin Moore, who posted the lone win for the Division 5 team.

In the Top Alcohol portion of the JEGS Allstars competition, the team from the West Region dominated the event, earning the specially designed perpetual trophy that accompanies the win. Chris Demke scored the bulk of the points for the West Region when he drove to the Top Alcohol Dragster title.

Dale Brand, making his first JEGS Allstars appearance in Top Alcohol Funny Car, scored a win for the Central Region when he topped East Region champion Todd Veney in another close final, 5.59 to 5.62.

The following are Saturday's final results from the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series 29th annual NHRA JEGS Allstars:

Top Alcohol Dragster Allstars -- Bill Reichert, 5.319, 265.95 def. Chris Demke, 5.327, 268.12.

Top Alcohol Funny Car Allstar -- Dale Brand, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.598, 256.02 def. Todd Veney, Chevy Impala, 5.626, 255.92.

Competition Eliminator Allstar -- Mike DePalma, Pontiac Trans Am, 9.285, 119.20 def. Greg Kamplain, Dragster, broke.

Super Stock Allstars -- Mike Crutchfield, Pontiac G5, 9.053, 147.52 def. Slate Cummings, Chevy Cavalier, 9.057, 143.12.

Stock Allstars -- Slate Cummings, Chevy Corvette, 10.484, 119.36 def. Brad Burton, Pontiac Firebird, 10.973, 117.09.

Super Comp Allstars -- Sherman Adcock Jr., Dragster, 8.896, 166.48 def. Michael Shelton, Dragster, 8.887, 166.85.

Super Gas Allstars -- Kevin Moore, Chevy Roadster, 9.887, 164.05 def. Mike Sawyer, Chevy Cavalier, foul.

Super Street Allstars -- Casey Grubb, Chevy Camaro, 10.904, 129.49 def. Ricky Shipp, Chevy Nova, 10.927, 129.89.

Top Dragster Allstars -- James Monroe, Dragster, 6.434, 199.17 def. Phil Unruh, Dragster, 6.451, 212.69.

Top Sportsman Allstars -- John Scali, Chevy Camaro, 7.062, 181.11 def. Jeffrey Barker, Chevy Cobalt, 6.643, 194.94.

Final Points Standings
Division 3 1,300
Division 2 1,000
Division 7 700
Division 1 600
Division 5 600
Division 4 300
Division 6 300

JEGS ENTENDS ALL-STAR PROGRAM THROUGH 2016 - JEGS Automotive, Inc., has extended its agreement with the NHRA as title sponsor of the JEGS Allstars event, it was announced today.
 
The extension will keep the JEGS name on the race-within-a-race bonus program for the best of the best NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors through 2016.  JEGS has been the title sponsor since 2002 and in that time, the JEGS Allstars event continues to be one of the most anticipated events during the season where individual and team bragging rights are at stake.
 
“JEGS is excited to renew our support of the JEGS Allstars race,” said Scott Woodruff, director of media and motorsports at JEGS. “Having the best of the best compete from coast-to-coast each year is something we look forward to as a company. The Coughlin family takes great personal pride in this special event. John, Troy, Mike and Jeg Jr. have all competed in the event and I know it's something third generation driver Troy Jr. is gunning for.”
 
“It’s the racers, JEGS and the NHRA that have helped to make the JEGS Allstars Race what it is today and what it will be tomorrow,” Woodruff continued.  “JEGS is honored to help elevate NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman racers by putting them on this prestigious stage.”
 
The JEGS Allstars event pits the top points earners from NHRA’s seven geographic divisions in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series against each other in the culmination of a year-long points battle.  Earlier this year, NHRA announced the formation of the JEGS Allstar Top Alcohol Regional Team Championship, which consists of four regional teams (East, North Central, Central and West) comprised of the top two points earners in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car, making up a four-car team. 
 
Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors in Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street, along with competitors in Top Sportsman and Top Dragster, vie for team and individual honors and a share of the $119,000 purse.  The extension calls for an increase in total purse to $124,000 beginning in 2014, when the newly formed Top Alcohol Regional Team Championship will include an additional $5,000.
 
Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the JEGS Allstars event, which is contested at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago. 
 
The event is televised on ESPN2 as part of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series show. The winning team splits $20,000 and the winners in the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car categories earn $7,000 each, while the winners in Competition Eliminator and Super Stock earn $6,000 each. Top Sportsman and Top Dragster winners earn $5,000 and Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street winners earn $4,500. Runners-up in all categories get $2,000.
 
“We’re very excited to extend our relationship with JEGS Automotive through the year 2016,” said Gary Darcy, senior vice president, sales and marketing, NHRA.  “JEGS has always had a strong commitment to NHRA and sportsman racing and through this extension will be the title rights sponsor of this very important program for 15 consecutive years and we will work together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the all-important program in 2014.”
JEGS Automotive, Inc., with world headquarters in Delaware, Ohio, is a leading supplier of automotive and auto racing parts and equipment.  JEGS was founded in 1960 by Jeg Coughlin Sr. in an effort to supply the growing needs of customers throughout the Midwest. In 1986, JEGS became a leader in the high performance mail order business when the Coughlin brothers (John, Troy, Mike & Jeg Jr.) purchased JEGS with the assistance of their father. JEGS is a leader in the aftermarket high performance business and has grown into a multi-million dollar company.

 

 

 

 

 

FRIDAY

TOP FUEL

Click play [below] to watch Tony Schumacher's press conference

SHOWING OFF AT HOME - Tony Schumacher has been fortunate to indulge in many highlights throughout his Top Fuel career but he still likes to show off in front of his friends in his hometown of Chicago.

At the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries, Schumacher went 3.772, 325.45 to earn top qualifying position based on speed ahead of Doug Kalitta's 3.772, 322.34. Al Anabi driver Shawn Langdon rounded out the top three with a 3.789 on a day where several big names misfired in the single qualifying session.

With his supporters watching on, Schumacher said there were plenty of distractions as he staged the US Army dragster in the last pairing of the night, from an already stout bump spot to a fogging visor.

“It had to get to the finish line, it showed 3.91 on the scoreboard when I staged and that's the top 12. I had a lot of things going on my mind when I went in there,” he said.

“I thought my visor was going to fog up so I turned the fresh air on early and it got cold enough that it put a lot of fog on there. They're kind of scary when you're blindfolded like that.

“I hit the gas and it was a great run, keeping it right in the middle of the race track.

“I've got all kinds of friends here in the stands. It means more to go out and run good in front of your buddies.”

When asked if the time would hold until the conclusion of Saturday, Schumacher was succinct.

“Nope,” he said.

“There's a lot of cars that can take it. There's a lot of smart people out here. We're going to go out and go faster. Going 77 tonight lets you go all out tomorrow because you already have a good run and you're already in the top half. We have nothing to lose. There's a lot of smart people out here.” There was no shortage of Top Fuel cars at Route 66 Raceway with 22 dragsters making passes on Friday. It was another local in Tim Cullinan who managed to hold on to the 12th position bump with an impressive 3.910.

Those still sitting outside looking in include Bristol winner Steve Torrence (15th), Bristol top qualifier Clay Millican (17th) and reigning NHRA Mello Yello Series champion Antron Brown (19th).

Provisional No. 1 qualifier: Tony Schumacher (U.S. Army Dragster, crew chief  Mike Green) Elapsed time:  3.772 seconds on the 1,000-foot course Speed: 325.45 mph

Notable about Schumacher: That 325.45-mph speed was critical to the U.S. Army Dragster team, for it's what gave him the provisional No. 1 spot ahead of Dough Kalitta. They had identical elapsed times, but Kalitta's Mac Tools Dragster went 322.34 mph.

What to watch for Saturday: Twenty-two drivers are chasing the 16 slots for Sunday's eliminations. Will Schumacher improve his and Kalitta's elapsed times? He hinted he thought that just might happen, if conditions are right with cooler air.

Overheard: "A (3.)77 tonight let's go all out tomorrow," Schumacher said. He said when crew chief Mike Green pores over the computer data with him and the team, "we’ll say, 'Look at all the room in there. But there are a lot of smart people out here."

YOU CAN ALWAYS GO BACK HOME - Terry McMillen operates his Hoosier Thunder Motorsports team out of Elkhart, Ind., but he's a Chicago-area native from the Southside suburb of Midlothian. And after last weekend's visit with the NHRA back to Epping, N.H., where he raced with the International Hot Rod Association, the Amalie Oil / UNOH / Motor State Dragster owner-driver is having another "reunion" this weekend.

Among his guests stopping by his pit Friday were some friends from Central Park Elementary School -- where, he said by way of trivia tidbit, one of the former teachers, one of his sister's teachers went on to play guitar in the rock band Styx.

Say Chicago and drag-racing fans think of Tony Schumacher and T.J. Zizzo and Chris Karamesines, among others (Bob Bode, Dale Creasy Jr., Tim Cullinan, John Lawson, Luigi Novelli, Justin Schriefer, and Steve Spiess). But this is where McMillen's love for the sport sprouted, despite the fact no one in his family was especially interested in cars and auto racing.

"Chicago is where it all started," he said, chagrined by the memory his mother, Mary, shared of young Terry -- the youngest f her eight children -- running in circles in the family's back yard, pretending he was driving a race car. ("My mom gives such a great interview, God love her," he said, laughing.)

He said his late father, a trucker working hard to support the family, wasn't enthused about racing but encouraged him. "Money was tight," he said, "but if blew the motor on my car, he'd find some way to come home with a motor and say, 'Hey, look what I found today.' And there was a motor in the back of his car. I didn't ask where he got it. I just said, 'Let's put it in the car and go play.'

"I had a great childhood, good times," McMillen said. "I grew up in the muscle-car era. Everybody was out there racing."

He made his first pass at U.S. 30 Dragway at Gary, Ind. "I drove my '32 Ford with a 392 Hemi in it. My first pass down the track was a shakedown run. I went only 76 miles an hour, but it was cool. I thought I was on top of the world," he said Friday at Route 66 Raceway. "So it just seems natural to come back and run at a great facility like this."

The "kids" at Central Park Elementary surely think it's cool that McMillen is racing for a living. So does he. "I have the best job in the world: get drive a race car, get to go fast," he said. He quickly qualified it: "There's a lot of headaches that go with it. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are nice. We worry about Mondays when they show up -- but I'm good Fridays, Saturday, and Sundays."

- Neither tentative No. 1 nor No. 2 qualifier had the fastest speed of the day. That distinction went to Khalid al-Balooshi in the Al-Anabi Dragster. He ran 326.32 mph but is sixth in the order for now.
- Doug Kalitta will be going for his fifth top-qualifying spot of the season Saturday and his first victory Sunday.
- If Brandon Bernstein's back still hurts following surgery a few weeks ago, he didn't telegraph it. He posted a 3.794-second time Friday with a speed of 323.04, outstanding enough to grab the fourth-place spot overnight in the Protect The Harvest.com Dragster for Morgan Lucas Racing. Lucas was seventh Friday in the GEICO/Lucas Oil Dragster.

LADIES SAFELY IN - Top Fuel rookies Brittany Force and Leah Pruett, the class' only females, are safe in the field. Force qualified 10th Friday in the Castrol EDGE Dragster and Pruett 11th in the Dote Racing Dragster.

'CHICAGO TOUGH' IN TOP FUEL COMPETITION - NHRA fans have heard about "Army Strong" for the past 13 years from Tony Schumacher, the seven-time Top Fuel champion from Long Grove.

But the U.S. Army Dragster driver also is Chicago Tough, a fitting representative of poet Carl Sandburg's "City of the Big Shoulders." Schumacher preaches Big Moments, always dreaming, he said, "of the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, full count and you're up -- or it's the football game, where you're down or tied and you have to work this miracle. That is the American dream."

Friday's opening day of pro action at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Nationals at Route 66 Raceway coincided with Chicago's massive Stanley Cup celebration of the Blackhawks' achievement  downtown at Grant Park. But it was the perfect time -- perhaps another "Big Moment," in Schumacherspeak --  to hear the drag racer express his pride in the city and how growing up here has affected him.

Said Schumacher. "Do I think my attitude comes from there? Attitudes are passed down. I have a great father with great business prowess and team-building skills, and I think that's really where it comes from. It's passed down -- that's probably the reason Chicago teams are so darn good."
 
His dad, former Funny Car driver Don Schumacher, is his team owner, owner of the biggest organization in the NHRA with three Top Fuel cars and four Funny Car entries. He employs 120 professionals working in his 120,000-square-foot shop at Brownsburg, Ind.
 
He does it all while maintaining globally recognized Mount Prospect-headquartered Schumacher Electric Corporation, a 2,000-employee business his son said accounts for "well over $100 million" annually.
 
But Don Schumacher is Chicago Tough, too. He grew up in a flat above a tavern where his dad, Albert, and even his mom, ran a bookmaking operation in post-Capone, post-Nitti Chicago. Albert Schumacher, then Don, gravitated to Corporate America, and today Don is . . . well,  "The Don" in the NHRA pits.
 
They're Chicago Tough and Chicago Proud. Tony Schumacher, who played house-league hockey for years, has been a huge Blackhawks fan for a long time. And several weeks ago, even before he got a taste of Stanley Cup Playoffs mania from the Boston Bruins' viewpoint at Epping, N.H., last week, he was plotting how the best-of-seven series would play out.

Had the Blackhawks not wrapped up the title earlier this week in Game 5, Schumacher teased, he might not have come out to Joliet.

"I'm lucky I'm showing up for the darn race. I'm a Hawks fanatic. I wanted to get a big enough of a points lead that by the time I get to Chicago I can take that one off, even though it's my hometown," Schumacher joked. "I'm a hockey guy -- always been a hockey guy. Love it."

His days of house-league hockey appear to be over.

"It's been awhile. You can do only so many things that can jeopardize your legs," he said.  It does keep you in shape. But I do show up (at the racetrack) with sore groin muscles and sore leg muscles. So yes, I'm in good shape, but everything hurts.

"My mind would say, 'Go,' and my legs would say, 'Wait! Slow down! You're hurt, man!' You can't have that out here. It's better to do elliptical machines. I know some people who are a lot  older than me and are in a lot better shape. When the name of hockey legend Gordie Howe, whose career spanned several decades, Schumacher smiled and said, "Old-school hockey -- those guys were bad to the bone, man."

And so is Schumacher, even by Chicago standards.
 
He has proven it with seven series championships -- one by an NHRA-record two points, another an NHRA-record 415. He has won more titles than the Chicago Bulls have NBA crowns (6), the Blackhawks have Stanley Cup championships (5), the White Sox or Cubs have combined World Series banners (3 and 2, respectively), and the Bears have Super Bowl triumphs (1).
 
Schumacher has won seven championships since 1999, more than all major Chicago teams combined (five more than the Blackhawks during that stretch). So far this season, which marks its halfway point here this weekend, he has fared no worse than second in the Top Fuel standings.
 
Moreover, Schumacher is Chicago's quickest and fastest champion. His personal-best performance numbers are an elapsed time of 3.736 seconds on the 1,000-foot course and 330.23 mph.
 
And he's arguably the most accessible of Chicago's champions. Every NHRA fan not only is allowed but encouraged to visit the pits and talk with the racers, including at this weekend's O'Reilly Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.
 
"We are a great sport," Schumacher said of drag racing. "We treat the fans better than anybody. So why are we getting treated like stepchildren?"
 
That's why Schumacher is so popular. He understands those Sandburg poem icons: the hog butchers, tool makers, and stackers of wheat. He compared himself to Chicago.
 
"I could move to Indy" and really be the hero of motorsports. Chicago is stick and ball, always has been. And I'm OK with that, because as great as it would be to be that guy, I'm a stick and ball fan. I love watching hockey, and I love watching baseball. I go out there and watch that stuff. So to be in a town where you have good teams is fantastic."

Former Blackhawks defenseman Brent Sopel echoed that sentiment. "It's the city. We're all a family," he said of the crossover support among Chicago pro athletic teams and their respect for the fans. "We all shop at the same stores you do. We eat at the same places you do. There's no special Chicago Blackhawks Grocery Store."

While Schumacher sees himself as a face in the Chicago hockey / baseball / football crowd, he definitely works hard to distinguish his performances from those of his drag-racing colleagues.

He's fond of saying, "I don't risk my life to be 'pretty good.' Everybody's 'pretty good.' I want to be the best." And during a recent interview with Competition Plus at Bristol, he said, "I was in the shower this morning, and I sure wasn't thinking, 'Gosh darn it, I'm so glad I'm average.' A-plus is a world championship ring. A-minus doesn't get jack squat. That's the way it is."

He's in second place as this race weekend opens, but that's not where he plans to finish the season. "There's only one champ. We won seven championships, and I can't, without some thought, tell you who was second to me all those years -- nor can I tell you who was second to anybody. It's still an amazing accomplishment -- but not champ."
 
He said, "We're always a Big Moment team," and Schumacher said. "The reason I enjoy it is my nine guys are capable of that big moment."

And in his hometown, he's hoping his U.S. Army Dragster crew will have that Big Moment. He's the Driver of the Big Shoulders from the City of the Big Shoulders. His shoulders can handle the weight.

 

FUNNY CAR

Click Play [Below] to watch what could be the shortest press converence of John Force's career

Batter up, play ball.

Fifteen time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force's home runs continued on day one of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries in a quick first qualifying session for the nitro coupes.

A 4.035, 314.02 held off a bevy of quick teams with the top 12 anchored by Alexis DeJoria's 4.124.

When Chad Head pumped out a 4.053 in the third pairing of the session, it signaled to all the teams that the track was there, and it was time to get aggressive.

Don Schumacher Racing duo Matt Hagan and Jack Beckman filled the two and three spots with runs of 4.040 and 4.043 respectively.

Force said Head's pass gave all the crew chiefs a preview of what the track had in store on the first inning.

“You've got killer conditions, a killer race track and everybody stepped on it after Chad Head shot the number,” he said.

“I'm excited, it's good to be back in the ball game. Trust me, it's a ball game out there and we know how to play.”

Confidence is a trait Force has rarely been short on, but by stringing together two final rounds and a top qualifying performance in Epping his mental game is on the improve.

“As much as I know the game, once you start going rounds you start learning what you've learned over 35 years and that is just confidence, that is good for anybody,” he said. “Confidence makes you better but it also does the same thing for the crew chief and the team. They start having confidence and make the right calls and the right move and right now we are making no mistakes.”

If better conditions arrive as predicted for Saturday, three second gossip will begin around the pits. Force said threes weren't on the teams mind for Friday but Saturday might see that change.

“Whoever has got the nerve to push to run the threes, I tip my hat to them, but you have to make the show. What if it rained tomorrow and you only got one lap?” he said. “We'll push it, sure, if we get a couple of runs (tomorrow).”

Force admitted Friday night's cooling track perhaps caught out daughter Courtney's Traxxas team, with the tire choice not suited to the surface and leading to early spin. The winner of the last event on the tour in Epping, the youngest Force was left outside the field in 18th position.

Provisional No. 1 qualifier: John Force (Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, crew chief Mike Neff ) Elapsed time:  4.035 seconds on the 1,000-foot course Speed:  314.02 mph

Notable about Force:  The 15-time champion is going for his second consecutive and third overall No. 1 qualifying position of the year and his 143rd overall. Force cited "killer conditions" and a "killer racetrack" for his provisional No. 1 effort. "After [Chad] Head ran [a 4.053-second elapsed time], everybody knew it was out there." Two other racers topped Head's E.T.: Don Schumacher Racing drivers Matt Hagan and Jack Beckman, who is testing a newly designed latch system (to keep the body from blowing off his Funny Car). He said, "The car ran good. The parts looked good. I haven't had a good car for awhile. I've got a good car now. Let's see what I do with it."

What to watch for Saturday: Courtney Force is looking to jump from the No. 18 spot and into the field.   . . .  Will anyone crank out a three-second elapsed time? John Force said he wouldn't be surprised, and that includes owner-tuner Jim Head. "Every once in awhile you get a guy like Jim Head. He'll go for it. He likes that big number."

Overheard: Tim Wilkerson said, "I would've loved a chance to get back out there for another run -- and I bet every team out here would say that including Force's -- because the track was getting better by the minute, and it might've been pretty special. But there was a threat of rain out there, and I guess they wanted to play it on the safe side, for the racers and the fans. We twisted a few knobs right up until it was time for us to run, after we saw some of the times the other teams were running. And that's about what the car had in it, to run a 4.06 at 306 miles per hour."

SANDBAGGING WITH BODE - Funny Car driver Bob Bode has been sandbagging.

Not on the racetrack he hasn't, but he certainly has been at his home in the Chicago suburb of Barrington. Pounding rains hit the Chicagoland area earlier this week, and Bode delayed his "settling-in" trip to Joliet for his first appearance of the season with his GPM Toyota because he had to protect his home from the surging water. Even after the rainstorms stopped, the runoff overflowed the creeks that meander past Bode's property.

"It went over my foundation by four inches, so most of the water went around. We had fish this big swimming through our front yard," Bode said, holding his hands about a foot apart. "Right up to the house."

He had one of son Bobby's Jr. Dragsters on display, and to get it out of the driveway he had to back it out through four feet of water.

"I'll tell you," he said of the sandbagging experience, "I was tired. It wore me out. It was a pain in the butt. I sandbagged until midnight, then got in the truck at 6 o'clock, and came here. And I've been working on this heap ever since," he said early Friday.

Last year at this event, Bode almost was working harder off the racetrack than he was on it, bailing rain water from his pit here. "Rain everywhere," he remembered. "It was nasty." Then it occurred to him: "How come nobody wants me to have fun?"

To make matters even more chaotic, his newly hired crew chief, tuning veteran John Stewart, flew in from Sacramento on a red-eye itinerary and arrived without ever having seen any of Bode's Funny Car or equipment. (Longtime tuner Walt Przybyl retired after last season.)

He was trying to calculate how long Stewart had been with the team and called over to him, "Hey, Stewie, how long's it been -- 12 hours?"

Said Bode, "He showed up [here at Joliet] and said, 'OK, let's look at your stuff.' " Actually, that's a bit of an exaggeration, for he agreed to terms with Stewart about a month ago, but Stewart truly hadn't laid eyes on the operation until Friday.

"He's got some great ideas with all of his 30 years of experience," Bode said. "He said, 'Let's tweak this. Let's change this and try this and see what we get.' "

They planned a half-track run in the first session Friday, and he stuck to that, even after NHRA officials declared they would have only one session because of the two-hour, 11-minute rain delay in mid-to-late afternoon.

Bode is looking for some positive behavior from his Camry after a disappointing last half of the 2102 season. He failed to qualify for the 16-car fields here and at Brainerd, Minn., Indianapolis, and the season finale at Pomona, Calif. "We were 17th at a lot of places and just stunk. It was depressing," he said.

He plans to enter the events at Brainerd, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Pomona this year.

Maybe the fiercest racer in the family is Bobby Bode. He leads the Modified Jr. Dragster standings at Route 66 Raceway by 11 points and leads the pack at Wisconsin's Union Grove Raceway. Earlier this year he won 19 consecutive rounds.

WINNING BY INSPIRATION - Blake Lillicraf may be newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D), but you’d never know from his composure.

The 13-year-old multiple-sport athlete was diagnosed with T1D in November of last year. It was a shock for the family, but fully explained Blake’s symptoms – he constantly drank water yet was always thirsty and lost weight. Then he told his mother, Dianne Lillicraf, that he had a hard time recognizing his friends from across the room – an easy distance that had never challenged him before.

“Fortunately, he didn’t have to be hospitalized,” Dianne said. “And from the very beginning he took it upon himself to take his insulin. We remind him to test, but other than that, he took charge. We’re kind of blessed that way – he was old enough to do that.”

Blake, an eighth-grader at Madison Middle School in Trumbull, Conn., has always been athletic. While he started with baseball, he now plays lacrosse, runs, and snowboards. He is also an avid drawer.

“He’s done some work for a few teachers at school, helping them with posters and things like that,” Dianne said.

Blake leaned on his creative talent and networking abilities developed through active participation in an Alzheimer’s awareness group to propel himself to the finals in Ford Customer Service Division’s (FCSD) “Our Everyday Heroes” Race Car Design Contest for JDRF, where he was chosen as the winner.

Blake, who during the contest raised $6,550 to support T1D research through JDRF, is attending the Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago this weekend to see the design he created on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang Funny Car, driven by Bob Tasca.

Children with T1D from around the nation competed in this year’s contest, and with the help of Ford dealerships and donations from employees, raised $57,127 for T1D research.

“The results of the contest this year were just astounding,” said Mary Lou Quesnell, director of marketing for FCSD. “We couldn’t be happier with the results. To all of the kids, Ford dealers and employees, and friends and families of the contestants, thank you.”

JDRF is the largest charitable supporter of T1D research. Ford Motor Company has donated $42 million to JDRF, more than $3 million annually for the past 10 years. FCSD joined the effort in 2008 and has raised approximately $300,000 with the race car contest alone.

“It has been another remarkable year of progress and fundraising with the support of Ford Customer Service Division through the design contest,” said Margo K. Lucero, JDRF’s vice president of corporate development. “We are grateful for the amazing efforts of this year’s talented young contestants, and for Ford’s valued and continued support of JDRF and of all people living with type 1 diabetes.”

“We were overwhelmed (with the results of the contest),” said Blake’s mother, Dianne. “First, we were overwhelmed with the amount of donations that came in. We reached out to everyone we knew not expecting the outcome to be this great. It couldn’t happen at a better time. I think diabetes quietly takes a toll, especially for a 13-year-old boy.”

The Lillicraf family has been watching NHRA race broadcasts on ESPN2 to “study up” on what they’re about to see – the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang Funny Car that Blake designed races at speeds faster than 300 mph.

“I can’t wait to get over there,” said Blake. “I’m just going to be really shocked to see cars going that fast. I can’t wait to see Bob (Tasca).”

This weekend’s race will be televised from 6:30-8 p.m. and 11 p.m. to midnight ET on Saturday, June 29, and 9 p.m. to midnight ET on Sunday, June 30, on ESPN2.

Bob Tasca, now in his sixth season behind the wheel of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Funny Car, always looks forward to having the contest winner at the track.

“The strength of these kids always amazes me,” Tasca said. “I have to have a lot of control with what I do, making sure I do everything right in my race car. But these kids have so much to handle in their day-to-day lives. It’s astounding how much they do to manage their type 1 diabetes at such young ages. I have a lot of respect for these kids and their families. We’re happy to help JDRF raise money for important research.”

In T1D, the body’s pancreas stops producing enough insulin, a hormone that is needed to turn food into energy. People with T1D must monitor their blood sugar levels and administer insulin via shots or an insulin pump, multiple times every day. Even with vigilant management, there is still a risk of T1D complications such as heart attack, stroke, blindness, and amputation. JDRF is the largest charitable funder of research toward preventing, better treating, and eventually curing T1D.

For the first time, fans can text to make donations to JDRF. Money raised will be added to Blake’s fundraising total. Just text “JDRF” to 20222 once, anytime between now and August 16, 2013. A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance.

The donor must be age 18+ and all donations must be authorized by the account holder (e.g. parents). By texting “YES”, the user agrees to the terms and conditions. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers.

- Tim Wilkerson led the Illinois contingent with a tentative No. 6-place showing in Friday's lone qualifying session. Dale Creasy Jr. was 14th overnight, Bode 16th, and Justin Schriefer 20th.

- Robert Hight, trying desperately to break from his slump this year, put the Auto Club Ford Mustang from John Force Racing into the provisional No. 5 spot. His ran a 4.055-second E.T., but he said afterward that the NHRA's announcement that qualifying had been reduced to a single session did not change his approach. "That doesn't change anything," Hight said.

"You should never change your routine, not in qualifying or on race day. It doesn't make any sense to change up because of weather rolling in. It is what it is. You have to do your best every single run. We went back to the Funny Car we ran in Topeka and went to the final. It was a perfect straight run. I think we have a lot to build on. The conditions tomorrow night should be really good, since they are predicting a cold front. You may see some three-second runs tomorrow night.”

 

PRO STOCK

Click Play [Below] to watch Mike Edwards' press conference

TOMORROW WILL LIKELY BE THE DAY - Mike Edward's qualifying performances this season have been as evergreen as the colors on his I Am Second Camaro and in warm, stormy conditions at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries, things were no different.

In the last pairing of the only qualifying session for the day at the Joliet venue, Edwards steered down track in 6.602 seconds at 208.68mph to hold the number one spot.

Allen Johnson was no surprise in second position with a 6.614, though Jeg Coughlin may have some more Mopar horsepower in store for Saturday as the only driver to run in the 209mph zone.

If Edwards can hold on to the position it will be his tenth No. 1 qualifier this season.

With cooling conditions forecast, Edwards made the declaration that there would be quicker times come Saturday.

“We made a nice run, I feel like it might have been a little bit soft in certain areas but we weren't sure how many runs we were going to get so we just wanted to go down the track,” he said.

“Tomorrow looks like it is going to be way way cooler, so I think today was everybody just getting used to the track.”

If the horsepower comes to the teams thanks to the weatherman, Edwards is confident they will be able to put it all down.

“The track surface here is just awesome, it is one of the best surfaces we race on,” he said. “It's going to be unusual tomorrow if the weather holds out because usually when we come here it is 100 degrees and they're saying it's going to be 68 to 70 degrees.”

Rickie Jones holds the 12th place Friday bump with a 6.670.

Pleasing to see back on track was Erica Enders-Stevens, who was forced to miss Epping due to a lack of funding. She'd lost none of her touch, sitting a provisional fourth with a 6.620.

Chicago is a special place for Pro Stock's only active female driver as the scene of her first career win 12 months ago.

“This race track holds so many great memories for me. I'm just really excited to be back and my guys and I are raring to go,” she said on exiting her Camaro, which is this weekend carrying the colors of Presidio, an IT solutions company.

Provisional No. 1 qualifier: Mike Edwards (Interstate Batteries/IAmSecond/K&N Camaro) Elapsed time:  6.602 seconds on the quarter-mile. Speed: 208.68 mph

What to watch for Saturday: Will Edwards hang on to lead the field for the 10th time this year? How much will the top-five mix change? Eighteen care are going for 16 spots. Right now, Steve Spiess (one of the former owners of this facility) and Iowa's Dave River bring up the rear in the class, but Larry Morgan, Steve Kent, Mark Martino, and Mark Hogan aren't secure in their spots in the order, either.

Overheard: Edwards said, "We didn't know how many runs we were going to get, so we just wanted to get down the track. The conditions will be better tomorrow, so we'll see a lot of changes. I think it will be quite a bit better."

- Camaro driver Greg Anderson is a 74-time winner but has won just once at Joliet, in 2011. And he hasn't had a victory yet this season. "I have a lot to prove right now," he said. "I haven't made a final round yet this year, and I need it. The whole KB/Summit Racing team needs it. We've been gaining on performance with this new car, and we just need to keep that forward progress going." Anderson is fifth and teammate Jason Line sixth with two more qualifying sessions to go Saturday before the fields are set.

"I know it sounds kind of funny to say you haven't had a lot of success at a place where you have been to six finals and actually have a win," Anderson said, "but it took me an awful long time to get that win. And it was one that I really wanted. Chicago was a tough nut to crack, but we finally did it and last year we made the final again. We missed it, but I'd sure like to get back there again and get another shot at it with my Summit Racing Camaro."

- Jeg Coughlin, who interrupted Edwards' streak of No. 1 qualifiers twice this season, is third in the order so far with a 209.36-mph speed that was fastest Friday in Pro Stock. He's just one-thousandth of a second slower than provisional No. 2 Allen Johnson.

- Galesburg, Ill., native Rickie Jones rounded out the top 12 with a 6.670-second E.T., while Larry Morgan matched his time but had a slower speed, 206.51 mph, and missed the top-12 cut.

ENDERS-STEVENS ALMOST MISSES 'ANNIVERSARY' RACE - Erica Enders-Stevens called her Sunday at the 2012 O’Reilly Auto Parts Nationals at Route 66 Raceway "the best day of my life . . . one of those days that can never, ever be topped in the history of the world."

She became the first female winner in the National Hot Rod Association's Pro Stock class. She walked to the end of the quarter-mile race course to savor the moment, and when she reached the finish line, another thrilling part of her life began -- longtime boyfriend and Pro Stock racer Richie Stevens proposed marriage. (He had told her they'd get married "when you win a race," and he made good on his promise.)

But because of funding issues, the newlywed five-time winner almost missed her chance to compete here again this "anniversary" weekend.

Charter Communications is funding this weekend's appearance, and Enders-Stevens is grateful to return to the scene of her fairy-tale race.

Still, the aggravating part of it -- for Enders-Stevens and for drag-racing proponents alike -- is that she personifies the often curious way of major motorsports. With powerful NASCAR nearly frantic to find and groom female and minority drivers for its "Drive for Diversity" program, NHRA has produced 14 female professional winners overall, including two  -- Shirley Muldowney in Top Fuel and Angelle Sampey in Pro Stock Motorcycle -- who have won three championships apiece.

It would simply be preaching to the choir to specify the NHRA's gender- and race-oblivious nature that has developed through decades of inclusion. But it's shameful that the NHRA doesn’t draw the media attention, especially in light of NASCAR's palpable panic about needing a skilled female driver and in such pathetic media coverage as USA Today recently devoting sizeable space to the fact Danica Patrick finished 13th at Michigan.  

Yet Enders-Stevens and other talented, serious, and media-savvy female drag racers have had to struggle. The Pro Stock driver even has had the advantage of bringing the notoriety of a Disney movie made about her and her sister, Courtney, driving Jr. Dragsters, as well as a keen understanding of the business grind as a Texas A&M marketing major.

So it's no wonder she called beating four-time series champion Greg Anderson in last year's Joliet final round "just a huge blessing" and "something I had worked for over 20 years."

She said, “I started in 1992 in a Junior Dragster and dreamed of being a pro driver someday. It was one of those moments where it was hard not to be emotional, because we had worked so long and hard to get there. [It was] that moment you work your entire life for . . .  you eat, sleep, and dream for . . . you breathe drag racing. It's hard to explain that exact moment, but it was a huge deal for my family." That includes parents Gregg and Janet.

She said the winners circle photo from that day serves as the screen saver on her computer "and I get to think about it every day."

But right now, after missing last week's event at Epping, N.H., with sponsorship trouble and slipping in the standings from fourth to fifth, she can't spend much time daydreaming. She has a new car to learn.

Her Victor Cagnazzi Racing team is bringing back the Chevy Camaro that first ran in March at the Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla., and since has advanced to three final rounds without a victory yet. It has been a distinct difference from her familiar Cobalt.

"Every car has a different personality, and it takes some time figuring it out,” Enders-Stevens said. “It is just like the dating process. They act right and then out of the clear blue sky, something crazy will happen. We knew the Cobalt like the back of our hand, but this car is a great car. We are figuring it out.”

If it delivers another Joliet triumph for Enders-Stevens, she might have to figure out how this race day ranks against the best day of her life.

PRO STOCK BIKE

Click Play [Below] To Watch Scotty's Run

HE'S THE STAR - The Pro Stock Motorcycle battlefield has been dramatically changed this season and though the parity of combinations is still being debated, three different teams in the top three positions demonstrated some much needed competition at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries in Joliet, IL.

The colorful Sovereign Star Racing Buell of Scotty Pollacheck led the way on Friday's single session with a 6.929, 191.24 pass to be narrowly ahead of Hector Arana's Lucas Oil Buell on a 6.930 and Matt Smith's 6.937.

If he can hold on through Saturday's remaining qualifying sessions it would be the first time the Medford, Oregon rider has top qualified and would mark the second straight event the team has been on top given Michael Ray's number one qualifying performance in Epping.

There is potentially some performance reserve in store for Pollacheck if the field steps up.

“I definitely think we do (have more left), as fast a we went it wasn't a perfect pass,” he said.

“There's some things I can do better to make it a little quicker and keep that number one; we don't want anyone jumping in front of us.”

Pollacheck had a painful first round loss in Epping where Steve Johnson took a holeshot victory. He is keen to avoid a repeat.

“I feel really bad for everybody on the team because I had a good motorcycle but those things happen every now and again,” he said. “That will be my focus this week, to make sure that doesn't happen again.

“We were still having trouble with the bike last week, there were still some gremlins, but hopefully we got those all exterminated.”

Pollacheck is in his second season doing the full tour and said having experience at each track the Pro Stock Motorcycle field visits has been important to settle his mind.

“It's definitely a lot better now because last year almost every place we showed up I hadn't raced at before,” he said. “Now I have so many less things to think about and I can concentrate more on the motorcycle  instead of trying to figure out where everything is at the race track, finding targets and that kind of thing.”

The number 12 bump spot was held by Joe DeSantis with a 7.069.

While there may be some tight competition, the aforementioned parity debate is likely still alive with both of the Harley Davidson-backed motorcycles missing the top 12.

Andrew Hines sat just outside in 13th on a 7.073, while Eddie Krawiec was a surprising dead last of the riders that made a pass (Michael Phillips remained in the pits for the session) despite a full pull of 7.109. Both riders were under the 190mph mark.

Saturday will need some more hard work for Pro Stock Motorcycle's marquee team.

Provisional No. 1 qualifier: Scotty Pollacheck (Sovereign-Star Racing, crew chiefs Ken Johnson, George Bryce ) Elapsed time:  6.929 seconds on the quarter-mile. Speed: 191.24 mph

Notable about Pollacheck: He's seeking the first start of his 26-race career. Pollacheck scored back-to-back top-qualifying positions earlier this season, at Charlotte and Houston and at Houston was runner-up. But he has struggled since then, at the past two races. At Englishtown, he missed the cut. Then at Epping, N.H., he lost to Steve Johnson in Round 1 and dropped in the standings from second to fifth. So this represents the beginning of his march back toward the top.

What to watch for Saturday:  Will the Harleys come alive? Only one spot is open in the field. If Michael Phillips, who decided not to take what turned out to be the only opportunity of the day, can get himself in the mix, that means two riders will go home empty-handed. As it stands after Friday qualifying, those in the Saturday scramble include Andrew Hines, Eddie Krawiec,  Jerry Savoie, Steve Johnson, Jim Underdahl, and Phillips - all extremely capable riders. Something has to give.

Overheard:  "We went to Englishtown, and in all four qualifying runs we has some horrendous mishap," Pollacheck said, citing problems with the engine, clutch, and a couple of sensors. Now I feel a lot better. We're in the right place this weekend."

- The Harley-Davidsons aren't back to the level they enjoyed for so long. Reigning champion Eddie Krawiec was last among the 17 riders who made passes Friday (Michael Phillips, for an unannounced reason, chose not to make a pass.) But Krawiec clocked a 7.109-second elapsed time at 188.99 mph on a full-power run aboard the Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson. Teammate Andrew Hines also was out of the top 12, 13th overnight at 7.073, 189.39. Only two Pro Stock Motorcycles turned in sub-190-mph speeds, and both were Harley-Davidsons.

- Matt Smith has the provisional No. 3 spot overnight, but he posted the class' top speed of the meet so far with a 193.82 mph.

- The Arana trio landed in the top five Friday, with No. 2 Hector Arana Sr. leading the way with a 6.930-second, 193.32-mph performance. Sons Hector Jr. (6.946, 192.44) and Adam Arana (6.979, 191.27) were fourth and fifth, respectively.





 

 

 

 

THURSDAY

TOP FUEL

BERNSTEIN HAPPY TO LEAVE LIFE OF LEISURE - Many people fantasize about a life of luxury, of lying around all day, maybe watching a bit of television and never having to go to work.

But Brandon Bernstein has done that -- twice now, in stints 10 years apart, both times because of back problems. -- and he hardly could wait to get back this weekend at Joliet, Ill., and the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 Nationals to his routine of driving the ProtectTheHarvest.com/MAVTV Dragster for Morgan Lucas Racing.

"The doctor wanted me to lay around and do nothing while I healed. There wasn't much to do other than sit around and watch TV," Bernstein said. "And I couldn't help myself but watch the drag racing. It was so frustrating being stuck on the sidelines."

JR Todd substituted behind the wheel for Bernstein at the Bristol, Tenn., and Epping, N.H., events the past two weeks, while Bernstein had surgery to repair an increasingly painful bulging disc in his lower back and recuperated at home near Indianapolis.

"It was tough to not be around the track and around my guys," Bernstein said. "I'm going to be ready, and I think we'll be able to get back to doing our jobs 100 percent."

Part of his longing to return is wanting to make up for some ground he lost in the Top Fuel standings. "Looking at the points, we really didn't fall as far as I thought we would," he said. "I'm 51 points out of 10th and 57 out of ninth. In essence, that's not too bad of a deficit to have to make up. It could have been a lot worse, but we do have to . . . start winning rounds to accumulate points quickly."

Bernstein said he was "just so excited to be back in the pits with my teammate Morgan Lucas and the ProtectTheHarvest.com crew, because they've been so supportive of getting me healthy again."
ZIZZO READY TO BE FIRST - When your last name starts with a "Z" and three of the five letters in your name are "z," you're used to being last. And in the past two NHRA visits to Route 66 Raceway at Joliet, Ill., Top Fuel driver T.J. Zizzo -- who lives and has his race shop at nearby Lincolnshire -- indeed qualified last in the field.

However, both times he beat the No. 1 qualifier in the first round, Spencer Massey in 2011 and buddy Tony Schumacher last June. So Zizzo got to be first, but the victory over Schumacher was tempered by the way in which he won.

"It was a great day," Zizzo said. "I did not like the way I beat him. He had a huge explosion. And after watching the replay, I was happy he was not injured. Tony and I have talked many times leading up to that event. He never hesitates when I have a driving question or have a favor to ask of him. But I'm not going to lie -- it felt great!"

Recalled Zizzo, "The first time I qualified for a race, in 2004, he beat me, and I had lost to him four times after that. To finally beat him was a great feeling. Anytime we beat a Don Schumacher Racing team it is a great sense of satisfaction. DSR has great teams, and anytime you pull to the line, you know you need to be on your game."

The Peak Motor Oil Performance Dragster driver said he's focusing on his new tune-up -- and he went on to make a bold prediction: By season's end he'll rewrite his career-best elapsed time and speed (3.843 seconds and 319.98 mph.

"This new season, we have been getting better and qualifying at every race. We have seven more events this year," Zizzo said, "and I can guarantee we will eclipse those career-best runs by the end of the year — guaranteed or your money back."

His confidence is strong, despite being able to make few testing runs or even race-weekend passses.

"Some people may question changing, but evolution is the key to success in Top Fuel," he said. “We are focusing on our tune-up. We do not make a lot of runs, so it takes us more time, not runs, to make improvements."

With his genuine devotion to drag racing, Zizzo might just do that.

"I love the challenge," he said. "Driving a Top Fuel car is the ultimate, and to do it with my dad and a large group of friends makes it very rewarding. I never complain — it can be 1 o'clock in the morning or 110 degrees and humid. The only challenge we have is not smiling ear to ear. Our team is always excited to put their skills to the test. We are competing against the best in the world. Every person at an NHRA national event would love to be in my shoes, and I enjoy the challenge of the fight."