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

SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - WINNERS CROWNED, RANDOM RACEDAY NOTES

BROWN BACK IN THE HUNT

What can Brown do in the Countdown?

Plenty, if the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals are any indication.

Antron Brown won his sixth Mello Yello Racing Series national event title of the season at Gateway Motorsports Park, winning his first rounds since the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship got underway. After defeating defending world champion Shawn Langdon in the final round, Brown is now in striking distance of points leader and teammate Tony Schumacher in the 2014 Coundown.

Brown won with a .046-induced 3.844 at 315.42 miles per hour to top Langdon’s tire-rattling 4.035 at 279.38.

Schumacher was knocked off by Terry McMillen in the first round of eliminations.

Heading to Reading, Schumacher has 2,337 points with Langdon in second, 57 behind.

Brown lurks in third place, just 80 points behind the leader.

“This was a big day for us,” Brown said of the victory. “We came into this race and we know our backs were against the wall. We’ve been struggling. The last four races we’ve been working hard, but no matter what we did our car was not cooperating with us.

“We got it back, we got it back. Now our car is doing what we’re used to seeing it do. The last two rounds weren’t exactly what we wanted to do, but we were right close, right there. We were competitive to actually pull off this win today.”

Brown qualified sixth while Langdon was fifth on the qualifying sheet. A second-round race against Schumacher appeared imminent for one of the two, but McMillen spoiled the party…much to Brown’s chagrin.

“Honestly, the way the Army Team works and the way our team works we work out good,” Brown said when asked how he felt about his teammate losing in the first round. “It’s so tough out there you don’t know if you’re going to win in the first round or second round. The thing is, I never cheer for somebody to lose or somebody to win.

“I learned about this sport a long time ago, and truth be told, if you plan on doing some winning out here and winning a championship, you can’t depend on other people to do your work for you. You’ve got to do it yourself.

“He went out there, their car was real aggressive and it shook the tires like our car did the first two rounds. We weren’t focused on what Tony was doing, we were honestly focused on what our car needed to do to get the job done.

“Everything else takes care of itself. There’s only so many rounds, so many rounds to win. I never root for anybody to beat my teammate. I would rather have raced him in the second round and did the job ourselves.”

Gateway Motorsports Park has been very good to Brown. He won the Top Fuel Wally for the third consecutive year and for the fourth time in the last five races.

“When you come to a track like St. Louis, it’s the right time of year now and the track’s always in prime shape,” he said. “We’re running .79s on over a 110-degree track and went .81 when it was 116. That just tells you how good this race track is, and you can do it in either lane.

“As the day went on we were in a zone. We have so many runs on this race track that we can look back at in our data bank. I think that really helps us out, also, and we just feel comfortable here. Some tracks you go to you feel more comfortable. No matter what you do right or no matter what you do wrong, it still works out for you. That’s how St. Louis has always been for our Matco Tools team.”

The win was nice, but Brown knows there is a lot of work ahead.

“With another three races left we’ve got to keep on pushing and do what we do because it’s still anybody’s race out there,” he said. - Mike Perry

COURTNEY FORCE CAPTURES ST. LOUIS FUNNY CAR TITLE

Momentum is a wonderful thing, especially for Courtney Force these days.

The popular NHRA nitro Funny Car driver made it two wins in a row, beating Matt Hagan Sunday to take the title at Midwest Nationals in St. Louis.

Force clocked a 4.094-second time at 311.27 mph to edge Hagan’s 4.121-second lap at 309.77 mph.

“My team gave me a great race car,” Force said. “We’ve gotten things turned around at the right time. Right here at the start of the Countdown to the Championship this is when we needed to have a consistent race car and I think that’s what we have so far.”

This was Force’s career-high fourth win of the season to go along with the races she won at Topeka, Kan., Sonoma, Calif., and Dallas. This was Force’s seventh career win. Force pilots the Traxxas Ford Mustang for John Force Racing.

Force became the first female to win back-to-back NHRA Funny Car races, Dallas and St Louis. Her four Funny Car wins are also the most in one season by female Funny Car driver and her seven career wins are the most by a female in the NHRA nitro Funny Car class.

Force’s victory parade Sunday consisted of wins over Bob Tasca III, Del Worsham, her father John, and Hagan.

Courtney beat her father, who was the No. 1 qualifier on a holeshot in the semis. He ran a 4.119-second pass at 311.27 mph., while Courtney came in with a 4.143-second run at 311.56 mph.

The difference was at the starting line Courtney had a .051 reaction time and John was at .099. Courtney’s reaction time was the best of the event for the nitro Funny Car class.

“It kind of made me sick to my stomach to be honest,” Courtney said about defeating her dad. “Dad, just seeing the look on his face, normally it’s kind of fun that I got to beat up on dad, but for some reason this time I could tell in his face, that’s he’s worried about Hagan passing him, me and Robert (Hight). I saw the look on his face, and I felt bad. Nobody likes to get beat on a holeshot and I didn’t want to do that to my dad. I did roll in on him and I went after it. I wanted to get the win, and I would rather get the points and go for that lane choice in the next round, and that’s where my mindset was at.”

With the win, Courtney is now second in the point standings with a 2,322 total as she takes aim at her first world title. John, a 17-time world champ, including winning last year’s championship, is in first place in the points at 2,344. This is the first time a father and daughter have been 1-2 in Mello Yello Series point standings.

“In the middle of the Countdown to make a big move up in the points like that was just huge for us because we need to create a gap between us and everybody who is behind us,” Courtney said. “We need to climb our way up to pass dad if we want to get this championship. That’s what we have our eyes set on right now. Dad’s tough to beat but a lot of these drivers our, everyone is so close in the points and every weekend it could change up, so I’m definitely going to savor this moment where dad and I are one and two in the points.”

Courtney began the Countdown in seventh place.

There are three races remaining in the season Reading, Pa., (Oct. 2-5), Las Vegas (Oct. 30-Nov. 2) and Pomona, Calif. (Nov. 13-16).

Courtney, who is in her third season driving a nitro Funny Car, was in the last two Countdown to the Championships, but had never won a race in the six-race format.

“I’m just looking at things round-by-round,” Courtney said. “It’s all about getting a win out here and picking up points and we have to go rounds to do that.”- Tracy Renck

CONNOLLY WINS AGAIN FOR GRAY MOTORSPORTS

If this is Dave Connolly’s last season in NHRA’s Pro Stock class before moving up to Top Fuel, he’s definitely leaving his mark.

Connolly won his second-consecutive race, capturing the Midwest Nationals crown beating Jason Line Sunday in the finals at St. Louis.

Connolly got past Line with a 6.562-second lap at 211.53 mph. Line came in at 6.565 seconds at 211.66 mph. Connolly also had a .017 reaction time and Line was at

“I’m trying harder than ever,” Connolly said about trying to win a Pro Stock championship. “The whole team is pulling in the same direction and we all want this bad. If it works out great, and if it doesn’t, then we all know we are giving it our all. That was huge (beating Line in the finals). That’s a 2-for-1. If Jason would have won that, he would have been up three rounds now, instead we cut it back to one (round) just like that. We have to stop him from going rounds and that’s the only way we’re going to do it is meeting him in the finals. It’s going to be tough on us to keep going to the finals, but you take advantage of any opportunity you get and that was one of them.”

Connolly is now second in the point standings, behind Line.

Connolly, who plans to drive a Top Fuel Dragster for Bob Vandergriff Jr. in 2015, continued the recent dominance by Gray Motorsports.

Shane Gray won the U.S. Nationals on Sept. 2, Jonathon Gray was victorious Sept. 20 at the rain-postponed Carolina Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.

Connolly, who lost to Shane in the finals at Indy, beat Shane Sept. 21 to win the FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex in Dallas.

“The four wins in a row is what is impressive to me,” Connolly said. “Four wins in a row with three different drivers is just tells you the depth of Gray Motorsports. It all starts from the top, Johnny, Terry, Shane, Amber, they are great folks and I’m just having a blast racing with them this year. Racing three cars out there has really taught us how to race on Sundays. That’s what has been the key to winning us these rounds lately.”

This was Connolly’s 26th NHRA career Pro Stock victory and third this season to go along with his wins at Epping, N.H. on June 22, and Dallas.

On Sunday, Connolly defeated Chris McGaha, V. Gaines, rival Erica Enders-Stevens, and Line.

“You could definitely say that,” Connolly said about Enders-Stevens being a legitimate rival for him. “I’m sure she’s not going to be pleased that I say this, but I consider this three in a row. We won with her driving in 2012 and 2013 (at St. Louis). Standing behind the car, I consider that a win as well. Everyone on the Gray Motorsports team should take credit for this win because it is tough out there. She’s not a big fan of mine right now, but we’re just doing what we have to do to get the job done on Sundays. We will just keep rolling.”

Connolly was Enders-Stevens’ crew chief the past two seasons.

There are only three races left in the Countdown to the Championship (Oct. 2-5), Las Vegas (Oct. 30-Nov. 2), Pomona, Calif., (Nov. 13-16).

“We wanted to go out there and try and win every weekend, but in the same sense we did sacrifice certain rounds to learn how to race,” Connolly said. “We wanted to try stuff. The track conditions change so much throughout a Sunday. First round, second round, semis, they are all different and they have different characteristics you have to learn. Again, us just going A to B and getting down the race track is what is winning us races right now.”- Tracy Renck
 

SAVOIE WINS FIRST CAREER PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE WALLY

When the win-light came on in Jerry Savoie’s lane, it sparked a starting line celebration that included most of the other drivers in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.

It was the fifth time in the 55 year-old’s career that he raced for a national event championship. It was the first time he was able to seal the deal.

Savoie was able to knock off Andrew Hines to win his first title, using a strong starting line advantage to get out front and leaning on his Vance and Hines-powered Suzuki TL1000 to get to the stripe first at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

“The last four times I’ve been in the Finals I got so mellow and so thankful to the Good Lord, Jesus Christ, for just being there that it just really didn’t matter,” Savoie said. “In that trailer today I said, ‘I’m not getting soft today. When I get up there it’s going to be on.’”

Savoie, an alligator farmer from Cut Off, Louisiana, qualified second at Gateway Motorsports Park. He earned a bye in the first round when Craig Treble was a no-show. He then advanced to the semifinals when Jeff Hall red-lit by -.003 against him in the other lane.

With a trip to the final on the line, Savoie drove past No. 3 qualifier Hector Arana Jr. Savoie had a stout .017 light and clocked a 6.824 at 197.54 to advance to the final. Arana Jr. was strong on the tree as well, posting a .019 reaction time…but he did not have enough power to deal with Savoie down the track.

He crossed the line in 6.927 at 192.63 miles per hour.

“We had a good bike all weekend,” Savoie said. “We struggled last week but it was a whole different week this week.”

As for defeating Hines in the final, Savoie is thankful he is a Vance and Hines client. Terry Vance and Byron Hines, the father of Andrew Hines, build the power plant for his Suzuki.

“What was amazing about this race was that we actually had to out-run him,” Savoie said. “I did my job, not like some other weekends, and it just came together. Andrew’s a good racer, they have a great organization…if not for Vance and Hines, Pro Stock Motorcycle would not exist.

“I am very, very thankful that these guys build my engines and just gave me enough power to actually go out there and out-run them. That’s great.”

Savoie missed the Countdown to the Championship by two points, but he isn’t looking back with regret. He is more than happy with how things are going this race season.

“I’m really sincere about where I am in life,” Savoie said. “I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in life and have been really lucky. I’ve got good friends, good family. Missing the Countdown was a team thing. We had some issues earlier in the year with fuel injection and we barely qualified in Atlanta. We couldn’t even break seven-flat.

“I don’t blame it on any one thing, and just like with anything, growing pains are hard. We got over that. Hell, we’ve got the fastest Suzuki on the Planet Earth. That’s a great thing.”

Savoie’s White Gator Racing team struggled early in the 2014 season due to a number of variables that led up to one specific struggle…problems at the starting line.

“We really struggled earlier in the year with reaction times,” he said. “We even hooked up a deal on the bike and I beat everybody. We went to Steve Johnson’s pits and I smoked everybody, so we knew the problem wasn’t me…it was the motorcycle.

“We made some clutch changes, some ECU changes and finally started tweaking on it. I had some really awesome lights this weekend. I tried to stay away from the double oh’s…I didn’t in the last round…but it was all good.”

As for the celebration at the starting line after he was able to claim his first Wally, Savoie wants to give his friends and fellow competitors a message.

“Drag racing is a family,” Savoie said. “No matter what happens on the line, if you need an engine or if you need a part…there are certain things we don’t share, but it’s a family thing and it’s amazing that the whole Pro Stock Bike pits was so happy for me.

“I’ve been out here for four years, and I always said if I won one I was retiring. Well, I lied.” - Mike Perry

SUNDAY RANDOM RACEDAY NOTES

ANTRON GETS HIS FIRST COUNTDOWN ROUND WIN - Antron Brown, who finished second in last season’s Countdown, finally put a round win on his 2014 stat sheet. As the No. 6 qualifier, Brown got the best of Brittany Force, who is also winless in the playoffs. He added a second win over Terry McMillen.

A REAL ROOKIE BATTLE - First-time nitro racer Kyle Wertzel upended Rookie of the Year candidate Richie Crampton in the first round with a 3.911, 310.84. Wertzel’s car is actually the last Kenny Bernstein championship car from 2001 with a tuneup from Bobby Lagana Jr.

Wertzel is making the most of his only race for this season. He’s hoping for at least four races for next season.

“We are ready for one round, if we win again we are in trouble,” a smiling Wertzel said.

For Crampton, parts breakage was his enemy.

"We just tried to make an A-to-B run and not get too crazy," Crampton said. "The thing wasn't going to set the world on fire, but it was going to be a nice, clean run. Apparently, something shut the ignition and fuel pump off at 700 feet. We were coasting through the lights. Subsequently, he was able to get around us. It's pretty disappointing."

BIG TIME UPSET - Amalie Oil Top Fuel driver Terry McMillen picked an opportune time to score his second round win of 2014. For the first time in 15 attempts, McMillen beat Tony Schumacher.

“It may be late in the season but my team is coming together,” said McMillen. “We went down the track five times, and it’s been a while since we have done that, and to come back with all of the pieces and parts.”

It wasn’t a total clean run for McMillen, he didn’t hurt the engine but did lose a body panel. As fate would have it, McMillen smoked the tires in his second round loss to Antron Brown.

GIANT KILLER - Jeff Arend added to Cruz Pedregon’s frustrating Countdown by knocking off the No. 2 qualifier during the first round. Pedregon has yet to win a round in the Countdown.

For Arend, a non-Countdown racer, this is the second time he’s taken out a higher qualified car in the playoffs.

NOT A GOOD DAY FOR FLAGSHIP - Chad Head used a holeshot to knock off Robert Hight in the first round. Hight has only won three rounds in the Countdown, after entering the playoffs as the second-seeded entry behind John Force. The victory was the fifth first-round victory for the part-timer Head.

If misery loves company, Head won his second round match when Tommy Johnson Jr. could not get his car in reverse after the burnout.

“When I pushed the pedal in after the burnout, I felt the clutch linkage snap,” explained Johnson. “The pedal went to the floor. I pushed on everything I could find to find something to engage the clutch into reverse. There was nothing I could do.”

CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT - After posting his best numbers ever in qualifying, Jeff Diehl’s weekend ended with parts breakage on the burnout in his first round race against Del Worsham. The team encountered electrical issues among other problems which became apparent when he nailed the throttle for the burnout.

“I stood on the gas and it shut off,” Diehl said. Diehl said the issue most likely centered around the Leahy device and there was an additional air leak.

“Maybe it was a blessing we didn’t make the run,” added Diehl.

BACK IN THE GAME - Jeg Coughlin Jr. established this weekend's race as a go or be gone event in his bid to successfully defend his series championship. By reaching the semis, Coughlin still has a lofty 133-point deficit with three races left to go.

UPSET ALERT, KINDA SORTA - V. Gaines scored his first conventional round win during the Countdown. His first came two weeks ago, when he beat Allen Johnson and then rolled his Dodge Dart in the shutdown area.

Gaines is in his second event since bringing his Dodge Avenger back out, the same car he drove to two finals and a brief point lead to start the season.

Gaines nearly pulled off another but lost by .003 to Dave Connolly.

KALITTA STUMBLES - The No. 1 qualifying jinx continues, as top seeded Doug Kalitta fell in the second round to Bob Vandergriff Jr.

The last time a Top Fuel driver won from the No. 1 spot was last September when Morgan Lucas won the NHRA Carolina Nationals.

DROPPING STOCK - Khalid AlBalooshi lost to Steve Torrence in the first round of eliminations when the gold Al-Anabi car smoked the tires at the hit.

As a result, he dropped one place to eighth in the NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel point standings.  He trails seventh-place Spencer Massey by 11 and leads ninth-place Richie Crampton by 63 points.

“We have been a little behind in qualifying.  We have been trying to get better so we can catch lane choice.  We did not have lane choice on Sunday.  When I saw the cars in front of us smoke the tires, especially Tony (Schumacher) because he has been so good in the last three races, I knew there was trouble with the lane. We smoked the tires like the others did, and our day was done.  I know we would have been one of the best cars in the show, but it is what it is.  We can try again next week.”

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK – A PACKED HOUSE AND A CHALLENGING DAY

HONORING THE FALLEN - Six teams are honoring the Hot Rods for Heroes this weekend.

Hot Rods for Heroes is a Baltimore, Md.-based non-profit organization which honors fallen soldiers and veterans from all branches of the American military.

This weekend, they are teaming with the Gold Star Mothers and with the help of Jason Line, Rodger Brogdon, Greg Anderson, Vincent Nobile, Richie Crampton and Alexis DeJoria, honoring the past and saluting the present with special decals.

"From the entire all-volunteer staff at Hot Rods for Heroes, we are extremely proud to have teamed up with such a great group of patriotic drivers who want to honor our nation's heroes and be a part of this celebration of life and remembrance," said Ron Greenwood, founder of Hot Rods for Heroes.

Line, a United States Air Force veteran, will honor his brothers and sisters of the Air Force by displaying 22 fallen heroes, who have lost their lives since September 11, 2001. The fallen heroes were part of the elite Para Rescue jumpers and Combat Forward Controllers of the USAF.

STUFF HAPPENS - Moments after cleaning up an oildown during Q-3, the Safety Safari was challenged with another clean-up. The door on the Safety Safari tractor apparently clipped the Mello-Yello time and temperature display upon returning to the starting line.

TOP FUEL

KALITTA VAULTS TO THE TOP – For the sixth time in 2014, Doug Kalitta will lead the Top Fuel field headed into race day. The Mac Tools-sponsored driver stormed to the top on the strength of a 3.758 elapsed time during the final qualifying session.

“The car has been qualifying well and has responded well,” said Kalitta.

The team has been running two crewmen short, one tending to a sick family member and another who had his appendix removed at a local hospital on Friday.

“We have people filling in, so there’s a bit of drama going on there,” said Kalitta. “We have a great group of guys.”

Kalitta’s pace-setting run came as a pleasant surprise in a session where the field appeared to be set.

“It went down there nice and straight,” Kalitta recalled. “It was pulling good. I didn’t think it had run a 3.75, maybe a 3.78. It was hooked up and going. I can’t wait to get this race going in the morning.”

Kalitta entered this race in third place in the points order, 107 back of series leader Tony Schumacher. He says given the category’s competitiveness, being the No. 1 qualifier is no guarantee for Sunday success when he races Chris Karamesines.

“With this group in Top Fuel I don’t think you can relax regardless of who you are running against,” Kalitta said. “I run the Greek (Karamesines, in the first round) and you can’t take him lightly either. I’ve got beat by him, too. We are planning on going to the final and getting a win tomorrow. We’ll see how that goes.”

THE REST OF THE PACK - Richie Crampton’s Friday-best of 3.764 at 322.73 in his GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster leaves him in second in the final qualifying order, while series leader Schumacher, who won the first two Countdown playoff races, will start third in his U.S. Army dragster with a 3.768 at 326.16. Kalitta’s teammate, J.R. Todd, who qualified No. 1 at the first two Countdown races, will start fourth in his Optima Batteries/Advance Auto Parts dragster with a 3.779 at 325.37.

BUFF HAS THE STUFF - A day after Troy Buff came to a skidding halt in a three-wheeled Top Fuel dragster, he wheeled the Bill Miller Engineering entry to the 13th spot with a 3.878 elapsed time in Q-4. He races JR Todd in Sunday's eliminations.

CHAMP QUALIFIES STRONG – Defending NHRA champion Shawn Langdon was the fifth quickest with a 3.780, 320.97 best. He races Pat Dakin in the final round.

UP ONE – Steve Torrence improved by one spot to sixth with a 3.786 second pass at 322.42 miles per hour. He races Brittany Force in the first round.

GOING FOR IT – Spencer Massey qualified No. 9 with a 3.801 best for Sunday's opening round of eliminations despite efforts to improve their position in the fourth session under overcast skies in the late afternoon.

"We had a chance to step it up there in the last session and it just didn't hold," Spencer said. "We knew we had nothing to lose. We were ninth going into that session and knew we needed to run a 3.70-something for a chance at the top half of the field to get lane choice for Sunday.

"It is what it is. It's tough out here. Our best lap is a 3.80 and that gets us ninth. I feel pretty good about our runs in the heat so we are pretty confident for tomorrow's eliminations."

Spencer's 3.86 and 3.87 second passes during Friday’s qualifying made for a strong baseline to gauge future runs.

"We know what we need to do tomorrow - we need to go rounds. It would be great to get to the final round and try and move up in points. Second through eighth in points is so tight.

"You could have a good day and make up a lot of ground or you could have a bad day and lose ground. We just need to take it one round at a time and not get ahead of ourselves and not beat ourselves."

Spencer entered the event in sixth in Top Fuel NHRA Mello Yello points standings, less than two rounds of racing behind second.

SOLID PERFORMANCES - Bob Vandergriff Jr. made three solid runs leading up to Q-4 and in the final session ran another 3.79 to end qualifying as eighth quickest. He races Spencer Massey in Sunday’s first round.

MISSING THE CUT - Scott Palmer, Clay Millican and Luigi Novelli couldn't crack the 4.054 bubble.

FUNNY CAR

ANOTHER NO. 1, ANOTHER NEW OPPONENT - John Force isn't so far removed from his past to remember the days when he was just like Brian Stewart. In his 37 seasons as a professional driver, Force has raced at least one new driver.

Force ran a 4.022 second elapsed time at 319.52 miles per hour to secure his 152nd No. 1 qualifying effort.

"I'm going to watch him, race him just like he's [Matt] Hagan," admitted Force. "[Back then] I'd jump up and whip someone like Kenny Bernstein or Don Prudhomme. Maybe I was lucky but luck is what it's about."

Force is on the same side of the ladder as three other Countdown finalists including Ron Capps, Del Worsham and daughter Courtney.

"We focused and that thing went down there and it shivered," Force said. "I had my hand on the brake all the way."

LAST MINUTE DRAMA - Alexis DeJoria went into the final qualifying session on the outside looking in. A Q-4 4.10 elapsed time vaulted her into the No. 10 spot where she faces Matt Hagan in Sunday's first round.

“We definitely added a little drama to the show, that’s for sure,” DeJoria said. “Before I went out there on that last one, Tommy [DeLago, crew chief] said ‘if we don’t get this thing figured out and it goes out there and shakes, be ready for it and step on it quick,’ and I was ready. I was thinking, ‘man if it does anything, I’m going to be on it so quickly. I just need to get it down the track, and I don’t care how.’ Luckily we made it down the track and our Patrón XO Cafe Toyota Camry got it in with a 4.10. We’re in the show, we’re racing tomorrow, and that’s what counts.”

Saturday's run was the first time she made it down the track under power throughout qualifying.

SHUFFLING - Jeff Arend got into the field, ascended into the No. 15 spot and in the process bumped out Tim Wilkerson. His 4.169 elapsed time pairs him alongside Cruz Pedregon in Sunday's opening round.

UNVEILING THE TRIBUTE - Prior to Saturday's qualifying, Tim Wilkerson unveiled a new paint scheme honoring long time sponsor Levi, Ray & Shoup and their three decades in business. Wilkerson has been sponsored by the internet-based firm for 15 of those seasons.

Two hours after the glorious unveiling, Wilkerson rolled to the starting line unqualified and in the final session. He calmed the nerves with a last-ditch 4.117 to bump back into the field, ending up eleventh and and will face Tommy Johnson in round one on Sunday.

"Well that was about ten times the drama I care to have, but at least we got it done," Wilkerson said. "On the semifinal pass in Dallas, we broke a key part of our clutch system, and the new one we put in the car acted very different than the old reliable. It took me three runs just to figure it out and come up with a solution."

BEST DAY, EVER - Brian Stewart ran both ends of his personal best when he nailed down a 4.181, 300.06 pass. Technically, he ran 4.10 while licensing with Tim Wilkerson's car.

This is Stewart's first race with Daniel Wilkerson serving as crew chief. And the experience for them has not been an easy one.

"We've just had some gremlins like the steering wheel fell off on a run, and we had a valve come out of the blower," Stewart explained. "We've just had our share of the new car bugs. It all came around on that run."

IT'S GO TIME - Matt Hagan knows what he needs to do on Sunday, he just doesn't know how he's going to do it.

"This is about winning championships now," Hagan said. "This is going to be one of those days where you don't really know what's going to happen. I wish we had a couple more runs that we felt really good about. We had two 4.07s in the evening sessions but we race in the daytime."

Hagan's two daytime runs during qualifying resulted in a 4.24 and 4.55 elapsed times as the Dodge Charger R/T was off-pace.

"First round will probably be similar conditions but as the day goes on it's going to get trickier out there," Hagan explained. "Hopefully, it will all come together. I look forward to tomorrow. This is what it's all about. It's make or break time and time to step up. We need to string some round wins together tomorrow to at least stay in the hunt for this championship or gain some ground."

SUPERSTITION ISN'T THE WORD - Jack Beckman hasn't visited a national event winner's circle since winning here in 2012.

"I'm not superstitious at all. By nature I'm not," Beckman said. "I have habits, but they are just to cut out unnecessary repetition. I put on my right boot first, but if I don't it's not the end of the world. My crew guy puts on my right glove first, but if we don't it's not the end of the world."

Fate didn't do Beckman any favors as he fell from seventh to ninth in the qualifying list. The end result is a Sunday match against teammate Ron Capps. Beckman failed to improve on Friday's 4.078 elapsed time.

MISSING THE CUT - Tony Pedregon and Dale Creasy Jr. fell short of the 4.181 bump spot.

CAPPS LEAPS TO TOP HALF - Nothing warms a crew chief's heart more than a top-half qualifying position. Ron Capps delivered the heartwarming gift on crew chief Rahn Tobler's birthday as he landed in the No. 8 spot.

Capps saved his best for last with a 4.071 elapsed time at 313.00 mph during Q-4.

"We're in the top-eight and that was the first step for us," he said. "The good thing about Saturday's last run was that it was around 6 o'clock and after the (Top Fuel) dragsters ran and the track cooled off that allowed us to step up so we could get lane choice.

Sunday is a key day for Ron, who will start the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship fifth in points and 94 out of the lead.

"We needed to maneuver ourselves up to where we have lane choice in the first round, and we did that. I never worry about race day with Tobler setting up our NAPA Dodge. Our first run today was a good run to get ready for race day conditions. Tobler has some data from the track for temperatures like we saw today."

PRO STOCK

HEAR HER ROAR - Erica Enders-Stevens will go for her third consecutive Pro Stock victory at this event from the top spot as she claimed her fourth No. 1 of the season and 10th of her career with 6.511 at 213.03 in her Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro. She will face Larry Morgan in the first round.

“We were trying to be consistent and have a nice race day setup for tomorrow,” Enders-Stevens said about her quickest pass of the weekend that came in her final attempt. “The conditions were definitely conducive to run that number. I am proud of my team for giving me a consistent race car and a fast one at that, so I am excited about tomorrow.”

Enders-Stevens is hoping a three-peat at this event will move her back to the top of the points order. With her stellar qualifying effort where she was quickest in all four rounds she was able to trim away a bit of series leader Jason Line’s points advantage.

“We’ve had four really nice runs that we are proud of,” she said. “We’ve got a stout group of players out there and we’ve got our work cut out for us. Our side of the ladder is packed with all of the Gray Motorsports cars. I know I say this all the time, but we’re just going to focus on one round at a time. You can’t get ahead of yourself.”

MORGAN OVER FORD, PRO STOCK? - Larry Morgan doesn't mince words, and now he's not holding back on his future. If he does race Pro Stock it won't be in a Ford.

"I'm not saying I am over racing Pro Stock," said Morgan. "I'm over racing a Ford in Pro Stock. The reason I say that is I cannot support the program properly. No one else wants to run a Ford and the day Jim Cunningham passed away I knew I was done running a Ford. I believe the Ford parts are the best.

"That being said if you have no support from the manufacturer, which we don't, and I understand that; I don't understand how they come up with this. The fans who support our program, the Pro Stockers and the Funny Cars, those people I believe buy Fords. They're going to lose a lot of support here. I hate that for Ford.

"With that said, to race, it will have to be in something other than a Ford. I say what I do about Ford, but why wouldn't you want to be in Pro Stock if you're a manufacturer? I can't be mad at Ford. I'm only upset they started a program and never followed through with it as they should have. It is what it is."

Morgan isn't sure which pathway he will take, GM or Mopar, or even if he will race Pro Stock.

"Pro Modified looks very inviting to me," Morgan said. "I like the idea of the three power adders."

GRAY COMES UP SHORT - Headed into St. Louis, Shane Gray was perfect in qualifying. The Denver, NC.-based driver came up .015 short in his bid to continue perfection.

CONNOLLY COMES UP TALL - Dallas winner Dave Connolly made a monumental leap from seventh to No. 2 with a 6.525 elapsed time. He settled into the fourth spot and will race Chris McGaha in the first round.

AJ IMPROVES - Even after improving his elapsed time with the fifth quickest run of the final session, Allen Johnson was seeded seventh by running a 6.531, 212.26 to meet up with Richie Stevens as his first round opponent.

HE'S NO LONGER THE KID - Richie Stevens had a choice to either race Dallas last weekend or St. Louis. Apparently, there was nothing more he wanted to do than to celebrate his 36th birthday at the drag strip.

Stevens earned his Pro Stock license back in 1996 as a wide-eyed teenger.

"Sometimes I wonder where all the years have gone," Stevens said. "I started doing this at 17 years old, and there are days it seems as if it has gone by fast and others where it feels we've been doing this for a long time. Still out here racing, and it's definitely where I want to be."

Stevens, who is married to Erica Enders-Stevens, is racing a limited schedule for the balance of the 2014 season.

"No regrets in making Pro Stock my life decision," said Stevens. "I've met a lot of people, worked with a lot of legends from Roy Hill to Bob Glidden to Don Schumacher. A lot of people helped me along the way. I made a lot of good friends and met my wife."

And today in turning 36, Stevens recalls the days when his youth elicited a nickname which followed him for years. He's convinced the moniker is no longer applicable.

"Somebody wanted to put "The Kid" on my window, and I said, 'Nah," Stevens admitted. "I'll let someone else have it."

RIVER COMES UP DRY - Iowa-based Pro Stock racer Dave River missed Friday's 6.579 top twelve cut with a 6.785 best. He rebounded on Saturday with a 6.833 to land 14th but fell from the field during the final session despite improving to a 6.73.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

THE EDDIE SHOW CONTINUES - Eddie Krawiec improved on his Friday time with a Saturday best of 6.810 at 194.60 to claim his ninth No. 1 of the season and 23rd of his career. He will race Shawn Gann in the opener.

“Every run you make down the track you learn,” said Krawiec, a two-time winner at this event. “Sometimes you go backwards and sometimes you go forwards. We got after it a little harder (today) and we sort of overpowered the track (in the final session). On our first run of the day, we killed it. We picked up a lot early and powered to a 6.810 so I know I have a great motorcycle. Now we have our threshold of what the track will take. We have our window. We know where we need to be and that should make for some great racing.”

REST OF THE PACK - Jerry Savoie qualified second with a 6.838 at 197.16 on his Savoie’s Alligator Farm Suzuki, Hector Arana Jr. will start third on his Lucas Oil Buell with a 6.851 at 197.68 and series points leader Andrew Hines is fourth on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a 6.863 at 195.22.

OF THE EIGHT BALL AND THE HARLEYS ... - Matt Smith and his band of Pro Stock riders have experienced plenty of success in 2014, but the two-time series champion knows winning another world championship is going to be a challenge.

“We are back behind the 8-ball again to the Harleys,” Smith said. “The Harleys have an advantage again and nobody is going to be good until they slow them down again.”

Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson riders Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec are first and second in the point standings. They have combined for nine wins in 12 races – five by Hines and four by Krawiec.

“The Harley guys have to mess up a ton,” Matt said about what will have to happen for him to have an opportunity to repeat as a champion. “Just like you saw Eddie do last week in the first round (at Dallas). The problem is they both have to do that in the first round or we’re fighting a losing battle, and more than likely they both are not going to do it.”

WINNING STILL IMPORTANT - Angelle Sampey-Drago isn't scared anymore. But the three-time series champion admitted that her first-ever experience aboard George Bryce's Star-Racing V-Twin in this comeback gave her a jolt of self-doubt.

"I was scared to death," she said. "I had no idea if I was going to be able to drive that motorcycle. I kept saying, 'I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I can physically do this.'

"Everybody said, 'Oh, man, you’re going to be fine. It's just like riding a bicycle.' I'm like, 'OK, but this is not a bicycle,' " she said. "And George reminded me, 'Hell, no, it's not. This is a fire-breathing dragon.' I said, 'Great, George, thanks a lot.' "

Sampey-Drago was in conflict a bit with her first test pass at South Georgia Motorsports Park at Valdosta. "I always said, 'The day I become afraid to ride this bike will be the day I will say I will never ride again.' Until the day I retired, I had never been afraid of the motorcycle, except that day," she said. "But here I am, contradicting my own words. I'm scared to death and I'm about to go down the racetrack. I almost psyched myself out. I did my burnout and . . . almost flipped my visor up and said, 'Sorry, I cannot do this.'

"But I kind of just flushed it and I said, 'I can do this. All I got to do is pop the clutch, and if the bike doesn’t go straight, I'm going to shut it off. It's just that simple. I'm going to test the waters here,' " she told herself. "So I pull into the staging beam. I get on the throttle. The Christmas tree comes on. I pop the clutch and frickin' drive it straight down the racetrack."

The licensing requirement consisted of a half-pass, three moderate passes, and two full passes. After that first blast, Sampey-Drago said, "Ohmygod! I did it! I did it! I couldn’t believe I didn’t crash the motorcycle!" She said, "I really thought I was going to crash the motorcycle. So I was so excited. Then when we got back up for the second round, I was still very nervous, not as afraid as I was. I did it again. After the second run, I was ready. I said, 'I want to do this again!!!' We made all of our test passes, got my license activated, and went to Dallas.

"And it happened again," she said of her stage fright.

"When we went to the staging lanes for the first round of qualifying, once again, I was not afraid, but I was so nervous I was starting to have chest pains again. I got down the racetrack, and after the first pass I was ready to go," Sampey-Drago said.

But on race day at the Texas Motorplex, something hit her.  She said she knew she still enjoys riding the motorcycle. But she asked herself, "Do I still have the passion for winning that I had when I raced before?”

Said Sampey-Drago, "I didn’t know that. I seriously did not know that until I staged for the first round of eliminations and took off down the racetrack. And when the bike would not go into sixth gear, I was so upset I screamed inside of my helmet and I could not believe that happened to me. I wanted to win that round so bad. I told George, 'I definitely learned a lot this weekend. The most important thing I learned is that I want to do this and I want to win just as bad as the first day I ever started.' I thought that part of me would be gone for sure, because life changes. I'm a mom. I have a daughter. Your priorities change. I just didn’t know if winning was going to be that important to me anymore. But it still is." - Susan Wade

BATMAN ON THE BUBBLE - Shawn Gann, Pro Stock Bike's version of the Caped Crusader, anchored the field with a 7.006 elapsed time.

ODD MAN OUT - With seventeen bikes in attendance, after four sessions Mike Berry was the odd man out.

 

 

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK – NITRO RACING UNDER THE ARCH

TOP FUEL

GRABBING WHAT HE CAN GET - Richie Crampton is winless in the Countdown, so at this point in the game he'll take whatever he can get. Friday night he grabbed three points for low elapsed time in Q-2.

"Yeah definitely the bonus points are what we're wanting right now," Crampton said. "I'm not sure the No. 1 thing is what we want, it seems like not a lot of people win from the No. 1 spot anymore."

Crampton, who is racing in his rookie season, stands on the possibility of grabbing his first No. 1 qualifying position.

"It's pretty cool though for me," said Crampton. "Hopefully I can hold onto that and get my first No. 1 qualifying position for the season. It would be huge. That's one of the things I haven't been able to do yet this year and I'm pretty excited about the way we ran tonight. "

RIGHT TIME, RIGHT SITUATION - Two Countdown races, two wins and one huge point lead. Tony Schumacher couldn't have written a better script headed into the halfway point for the 2014 NHRA playoffs.

Schumacher entered the Countdown as the fourth-seeded driver and now holds a 106-point lead over second place Steve Torrence. The seven-time Top Fuel champion admits he never anticipated this much good fortune this early.

“Absolutely not," Schumacher admitted. "Too many good cars. There are too many good cars. We’ve got one of them. Everyone knows we’re coming around at the right place at the right time. Last year, we weren’t in it. We just got the six-disc clutch and we were fighting adversity and people were bashing us and saying, ‘Hey, man, we understand you can go out and win races with a five-disc clutch.’ But we knew we would be able to win them for long. The cars are making too much power and we had to make that switch. We fought through the adversity, and we did it calmly and coolly.

"We didn’t fire people. We maintained. We learned so many great lessons from the great people we are surrounded by. And that includes our soldiers and the discipline they have and the calmness they have, it’s just a gift to be around people like that. They calm me down, they keep me where I need to be – humble – and I appreciate the position we’re put in. God’s been great to me.”

Schumacher was third quickest during first day qualifying with a 3.780 second elapsed time.

THIS WON’T BUFF OUT – Troy Buff described his Q-1 pass, as a “smooth run.” Then all hell broke loose.

Buff, who drive’s Bill Miller’s BME dragster, suffered a blowout of his left rear Goodyear tire. He was uninjured in the incident.

“Right at the finish line, I heard a loud explosion – like a cannon going off,” explained Buff. “The car started to vibrate and then it dropped. I hit the Leahy device and it triggered everything to shutoff. I knew for sure when it was grinding on the ground there was a tire missing. I didn’t know it had taken the rear wing out.”

The damage to the wing was so extensive the unit had to be replaced.

“I don’t think we had any engine damage, so we probably ran over something on the track,” Buff speculated. “Or maybe, the tire just let go. I don’t know.”

Buff admitted he didn’t have time to get scared.

“I was more afraid of hitting the wall, or doing more damage to the car,” said Buff. “The main thing I was trying to do was keep the car straight. I just wanted to keep it straight, in my lane and off of the wall.”

WHO SHOT JR? - J.R. Todd, who qualified No. 1 at the first two Countdown playoff races, was first in the opening session but ended up second overall after he posted a 3.779 at 325.37 in his Optima Batteries/Advance Auto Parts dragster in the second session.

KALITTA WATCH - Doug Kalitta, who led the points for most of the regular season, was fourth in his Mac Tools dragster with a 3.780 at 324.83

INOPPORTUNE TIME – Clay Millican missed Friday’s best weather conditions when his Parts Plus dragster sprung a leak.

“We had a fuel leak and it wasn’t a loose fuel line either,” explained Millican. “We had a nozzle body leaking on top of the injector. It was just not worth trying to make a run. Nothing major … not a holy cow moment.”

 

FUNNY CAR

FORCE LIGHTS UP THE NIGHT - There's no time like the nighttime for the 16-time champion John Force. He led the Funny Cars with a Q-2 4.022 elapsed time which beat out Cruz Pedregon's identical elapsed time with a 319.52 miles per hour speed.

“We always know we can run better at night, you know what I’m saying, and it pushed us into the evening and the fans coming from work had a chance to see a great show, but when conditions cool down, we run good," Force explained. "It’s the Countdown and every point helps. Just last week I threw away 20 points running off that Charlotte race in Texas. You can’t make mistakes, so every round counts and there are only three races after this and championships are won or lost and things I did like my red-light in Texas against Hagan. I changed my routine, I screwed up and I got so mental racing him. My car was running good, I was on my game but I still screwed up. So, I’m going to get back to where I belong, get my head right and focus and just race the car next to me,” said John Force.

NOT A GOOD START - The race day ended well for Force, but the morning in general was a bust.  

“My day started bad, it’s my anniversary with my wife Laurie, we’ve been married for 33 years and so I went down and bought her a plaque and had it carved with her name and I put the wrong date on it," Force said. "So I went back with my daughter and got her another one but I told her (Laurie), ‘I’m going to run low ET for you tonight and she said why and I said I just feel I can, I know this car has been fast.’ And then it did, so then she comes over and says ‘If you can pull that off then I’ll believe anything you say from now on,’ so anyway, we got away with it and that’s her anniversary present – and some roses."

KING FOR A LITTLE WHILE - For five pairs of Funny Cars, surfer Jeff Diehl was on top of the wave of momentum.

Diehl ran a career best 4.15 elapsed time at 300.80 miles per hour to lead the Q-1 session until Del Worsham posted a 4.11. He ended the session as the fifth quickest, the highest qualifying effort of his career.

"That's crazy," said Diehl, as he worked feverishly from the bottom-end duties. "I wondered what was wrong with the rest of the guys out there. This is pretty awesome."

Diehl admits he believed his team was teasing him. In the end, they were truthful.

"I told them to quit playing with me, or I was going to kick their a**," said Diehl. "Then they told me I ran 300 miles per hour, and I told them, 'that's it. I'm retiring. It was a ride. If I had driven it straight, it might have been a 4.12."

Diehl is assisted this weekend by Rob Wendland, who in the past had tuned for Don Schumacher Racing. The moment was a bittersweet one for Wendland, who lost his father earlier in the week after a bout with cancer.

"It's a blessing that we are starting to put things together here," Diehl said. "It's been a slow process, but we have to be systematic about it. We fix one thing and we have to go back out there again. I didn't have the clutch right, so it was pulling him through the lights. This is awesome for this all-volunteer team."

Wendland said this is also a resourceful team.

"We've got clutch discs we pick up out around the track," admitted Wendland. "Teams give us used parts, and this is really great for this team to get this kind of a result."

During Q-2, Diehl got a full swing with a 4.13, a career best.

QUANTUM LEAP - After running a strong 4.11 to open qualifying, Del Worsham stepped up in the final session with a 4.049, 314.75.

QUICKEST OF THE HERD - Tommy Johnson Jr. (Make-A-Wish) is the quickest of the four DSR Funny Cars with a run of 4.053 seconds at 315.78 mph during the Q-2 session.

DRIVER ERROR – On the other hand, Matt Hagan readily admits his Q-1 engine explosion is something which can be chalked up to driver error.

“It went out there and I could see the finish line coming up and like most anything, it’s a driving through feel thing,” said Hagan. “I felt it kind of spinning the tire, not real bad and I figured I could leg it out and put a number on the board. I was trying to salvage the run and be aggressive. It just didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. It was a judgment call and I made the wrong one.”

The damage from the blast severely damaged the roof and windshield area.

“I figured it might put some cylinders out but not what it did,” said Hagan. “It blew up and obviously Don is not going to be happy with me.”

For his efforts, the run netted Hagan a 4.248 elapsed time.

VALVOLINE THIS WEEKEND – Jack Beckman is racing in his last 2014 race as part of the Valvoline program. In Reading and Las Vegas, he will represent the Infinite Hero charity before closing out the season with Mail Terminal Services.

He was seventh quickest with a 4.078.

 

PRO STOCK

ERICA LEADS THE BOYS - Erica Enders-Stevens was the strongest Pro Stock qualifier on Friday with a 6.513 second elapsed time at 212.90 miles per hour.

"After the first session, we were pretty pleased with our numbers," said Enders-Stevens, who picked up the maximum six points on Friday. "I think it was evident when the No. 2 qualifier was a full .03 of a second behind us.

"I'm really proud of my team; we made some changes for Q-2 and obviously missed it a little bit. Would've, should've, could've ... but there was a 6.49 or 6.50 in the car."

If the run holds, it will be her second in the Countdown.

Enders-Stevens had led the points for most of the regular season before a two-race hiatus dropped her to second place. She entered the event 59 points out of first.

"These baby points are going to be huge ... like a thousandth on race day," said Enders-Stevens.

NOT THE RESULT HE HOPED FOR - Chris McGaha bought arguably the baddest Pro Stocker on the planet last season. Nearly a year later he's ready to start skipping some races.

McGaha doesn't believe his equipment is obsolete. As a result, he's scrutinizing his schedule and even considered sitting out this weekend.

“No, absolutely not,” McGaha said. “The first of the summer I thought that, but now no. We’ve slowed down, there’s not a doubt about it. I tell you right now it’s so bad that we’re probably not even going to go to Reading over it. We’re probably going to skip Reading. I actually wanted to skip this race as well. You can see the problem, you just have to fix it. I have an idea what it is. I’ve been here before. I didn’t realize it had escalated into such a problem. It’s on the engine side. That’s why our performance has been somewhat to be desired. I went home and was working on a motor that I was going to try and get ready for this race (St. Louis) and it didn’t come out like we wanted, but the truck was already here (in St. Louis).” – Tracy Renck

REUNITED – Peaches and Herb once crooned the love song Reunited. There couldn’t have been a more appropriate song for V. Gaines in returning to his Dodge Avenger last weekend in Dallas after crashing his Dodge Dart in Charlotte two weekends ago.

The Avenger was a definite player in the first part of the season, reaching the final round twice and ascending into the point lead for at least one race.

“We did have a lot of data on the other car,” said Gaines. “A lot of things did change, and I wish we had a chance to go test the car before we brought.”

One race after barrel-rolling his Dodge Dart, Gaines re-emerged with a car which had gathered dust for the better part of three-and-a-half months and had become a donor car for the new car.

“Every car is different, and it is a hard thing,” said Gaines. “When we first introduced our Dart, it kicked our butt for a few races. It was still kicking our butt a bit before the wreck. We were getting closer and then that happened.”

Gaines said it was a good thing he had a bit of information on a car he really wanted to park.

“We did have to get out the old notes to see where we were and try to apply what we learned from the Dart,” said Gaines. “I’ve always been in love with the Avenger. It’s a good car. We are not entirely unhappy to be racing this car.”

Gaines said his Lazarus Chassis company is already constructing a new Dart for competition in 2015.

IT'S GO TIME - This weekend's race represents the half-way mark in the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Championship series. For Jeggie Coughlin, the defending series Pro Stock champion, St. Louis represents "a go or gone moment" if he wants a sixth championship.

Coughlin has only one round win during the Countdown.

"We haven't quite gotten the start we wanted in the first two races of the Countdown to the Championship," said Coughlin. "A first-round and a second-round finish isn't going to get the job done. Fortunately, we have four races left in the fight for this year's Mello Yello championship, and that's enough to reach our ultimate goal."

Coughlin has no excuses for the subpar start.  

"We have all the parts, pieces, and personnel in place," Coughlin said. "This race team has gotten on great streaks multiple times in the past, both with my car and with Allen's (Johnson, teammate) hot rod. We just need it to unfold for us again in these final four races.

"I can tell you I have great confidence behind the wheel. I know the guys will give me a competitive car every round, and I'm comfortable with my driving. On top of that, we're going to close out the year at four racetracks I really like and ones where we've had great success in the past."

NO LUCK ON THE LINE - Jason Line holds the track record for Gateway Motorsports Park. Given his druthers, he'd rather hold a Gateway trophy at the track outside of St. Louis.

Gateway Motorsports Park is one of the few facilities where Line has yet to score a trophy. There are only five racetracks on the current Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour where he has not celebrated a victory of his own in the winner's circle: Topeka, Epping, Denver, Indianapolis, and St. Louis.
 
"I think the fact that I haven't won there means I'm due, and the odds are becoming more and more in my favor," said Line, a 35-time NHRA Pro Stock winner. "This particular racetrack hasn't been kind to me, but we've run well there the last few years, and there is a first time for everything. Every bad streak must come to an end at sometime, and if everything goes as planned, the Summit Racing team will see this one end this weekend."
 
Line has reached the finals at Gateway only once during the 2009 season.

ON THE OTHER HAND ... - Line's teammate Greg Anderson has fared better with one national event win dating back to a decade ago. Anderson was solid during that season with 15 wins in 19 final round appearances.
 
"I'm not sure what it is about that particular racetrack, but it's a nice facility, and we do really well here," said Anderson. "We have fun here, we've had a lot of success here, and I love coming here. It's another one that we really look forward to, and it's just the perfect time of the year to be in this part of the country."
 
Anderson visited his first Gateway final in 2000, competing in only his third season as a driver in the exceptionally competitive category of naturally aspirated factory hot rods. He was again runner-up in 2002, and in 2004 Anderson was the No. 1 qualifier at the event and finally won by beating former Comp and Pro Stock Truck standout Steve Johns. He finished runner-up in 2006 and 2007, both times from the No. 1 qualifying position.

REBOUNDING – After testing extensively earlier this week in Houston, Rodger Brogdon had an inauspicious start in St. Louis. Brogdon blew an engine in Q-1. Just how violent was the engine failure? He shattered a spring.

Brogdon rebounded in Q-2 with a 6.571, 211, good enough for the tenth spot.

MOVING AROUND WEIGHT – Greg Stanfield recently took his Pro Stock Camaro to chassis builder Jerry Haas for a chassis adjustment. The problem wasn’t all car related, however.

Apparently, the new driver, his son Aaron, is 75 pounds lighter than his dad and as a result the weight in the car needed readjustment to the lighter driver’s weight.

RE-UPPING – Vincent Nobile will return to the KB Racing stable for next season as the Nick Mitsos-owned team renewed their contract for horsepower in 2015.  

REMEMBERING BUDDY - One of Larry Morgan's fondest Gateway memories includes Buddy Ingersoll, former NHRA Modified champion and the only man to race a V-6 in Pro Stock.

Ingersoll worked with Morgan in the 1990s on his Pro Stocker.

"We weren't qualified, but we were more than capable of qualifying," Morgan said. "We were down to the last pass and I told Buddy, 'I've got a set of carburetors that I want to put on.' "

Ingersoll and Morgan go back many years, so far back Ingersoll branded Morgan as "Shaker" from their days as sportsman racers. Morgan once raced a four-cylinder with a propensity for shaking loose the flywheel every run.

Ingersoll was puzzled as to why Morgan would suddenly put on new carbs.

 "Shaker, ' you really think you ought to do that?" Ingersoll said.

 "Listen, you've got to not be afraid in this business," Morgan replied

 "If it doesn't work, I swear to God I'm going to kill you," Ingersoll said.

 Morgan still laughs recalling Ingersoll's threat.

 "Thank God, I went out there and hauled ass," Morgan said. "I went way up in the top half. That's how good it was."

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

IN THE ZONE - Eddie Krawiec heads into Saturday qualifying on the cusp on his ninth 2014 No. 1 qualifying effort. The Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson rider cranked out a 6.824 elapsed time at 196.44 miles per hour to edge Jerry Savoie by nearly .03.

Krawiec has qualified No. 1 at every Countdown event thus far.

"To come off of the truck and run strong is the key," said Krawiec. "I don't want to give up any opportunity to gain any of those little points. To come out and run this fast off the bat, I am happy with that. That's what I thought was out there.

Krawiec's top run came in Q-1, and in the second session could only muster a 6.862, the second quickest lap of the session and third quickest run of the weekend.

"Typical St. Louis as it goes into the night session," said Krawiec. "When you go into the night session, humidity goes up and dew-point goes up. Sometimes the track gets worse, sometimes it gets better. We decided to leave the bike alone and see what it would give us."

GATOR, GATOR - Jerry Savoie was second on his Savoie Alligator Farm Suzuki with a 6.852 at 196.19, followed by Dallas winner Hines, who posted a 6.863 at 194.63 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, and Hector Arana Jr., who qualified fourth on his Lucas Oil Buell with a 6.865 at 196.07.

WANTS TO SHOW WHAT THEY HAVE - Star Racing boss George Bryce said he and his Americus, Ga.-based team "thrashed like mad dogs to try to put a second motorcycle together" for Angelle Sampey following Michael Ray's abrupt departure from the organization earlier this month. They were successful in getting Sampey licensed on teammate Chaz Kennedy's bike and getting her qualified at Dallas (thanks to funding from High Performance Lubricants and Underground Professionals). But Bryce said, "We didn't get to show what we had."

He has another chance this weekend, and he said, "We're excited about St. Louis, because that will be our sixth run first round Friday, our sixth run. So we hope to get the bugs worked out where she can look pretty darn good getting back in the saddle."

Looking back at the whirlwind of events, Bryce can see just how skilled his veteran crew is.

Ray's exit posed exponential problems, because the chassis of the motorcycle he was racing belonged to him and the engines belonged to Bryce. "So we had just one motorcycle to race. We had another chassis sitting in the shop that we had been borrowing parts off of for two years. It was just sitting in a corner, kind of dusty." After Sampey agreed to test with Star to determine if she wants to return to NHRA competition, Bryce said, "Of course, I didn’t know what to say, because I didn’t have a motorcycle.

"She said she was going to come over and we'd make some test runs. I said we can let her ride Chaz Kennedy's bike and learn if she's capable and she wants to and just see if it’s even possible. In the meantime, my team . . . got [the second bike] almost finished. We got to the track with it and kept tinkering with it and working on it and trying to finesse the new piece we haven't been running in two years and let Chaz ride it a little bit. Chaz made some test runs on it, and he was having some trouble with it handling, and we just kept tinkering with it, trying to get it tuned right. At the very end of the test session, we let her ride the new one, and she did pretty good and went fast. But it wasn't handling just right."

So Bryce said he decided to re-introduce Sampey at Charlotte to "meet the fans, meet potential sponsors, meet the NHRA again, try to get re-acclimated. I wanted to get the test runs, the license runs, the visit back to the track, the media frenzy, the fan frenzy, the team action. We wanted to get all that done before we made an announcement or a decision when we would bring her back. All this makes a long story of how we got to Dallas in a very short few days."

The Dallas performance, Bryce knows, was outstanding in light of the tiny window of time Star Racing had but aggravating because of the rare mechanical glitch that happened in eliminations.

"Her runs in qualifying, every one of them was an adjustment run for her and the new motorcycle that we didn’t have enough runs on," he said. "She did good, then a little better, then a little better, then Sunday first round we had a really great run going. She had picked up five-hundredths [of a second] in the front half of the run and it wouldn’t go to high gear for the first time in probably two years. It's what they call a dead head on the transmission, where you push the button all you want for the gears and it won’t go. It's very rare. It happens every now and then, and it just happened first round. Not many people knew she was on the rev limiter for a whole second in the run and she was probably going to run a low (6.)90 or who knows what."

As for Ray's decision, Bryce said "no chance" that he saw it coming.

"We had one little hiccup in the middle of the season where we weren't happy: he wasn't happy with us and we weren't happy with him. And we got over it really good. We all agreed we were going to dig in and dig in hard with our heels and really chase the championship. We decided we would work as hard as we could to get into the top 10, and we did. At Indy, everything was going great. He qualified to half and even fifth round of qualifying he was low E.T. of the round, which gave us so much confidence for Monday, going into eliminations. And then we checked over the motorcycle as best we could. He was ready. We were ready. And the first round of eliminations at the U.S. Nationals, we broke an intake spring in the burnout. And on the V-Twins you only have two, and when one goes out, you’re pretty much a lame duck. All the support and the people were devastated by the sudden reduction in performance, and on the way home, I think, everybody decided they wanted to do something different.

"It really did surprise us, because I felt like we showed visions of turning the corner with performance, and then we just had a $50 valve spring break on us. It sent us all sideways, but it is really and truly water under the bridge," Bryce said. "We gave him his motorcycle back. We gave him his leathers, his boots, and his gloves. We all said good-bye. He's doing his own deal, and we're working on the future. And as far as I know, everything's cool."  - Susan Wade

STAR RACING LANDS NEW SPONSOR - UPI Performance, a high performance V-Twin engine shop out of Ashland, Ohio,  has joined Star Racing as primary sponsor of Rookie of the Year candidate, Chaz Kennedy and as an associate partner with 3-time Champion Angelle.

“Our belief with Chaz is that he is a young rider with the drive and talent to be a future champion,” stated UPI Performance owner Scott Smalley. “We have been really impressed with Chaz’s dedication to the sport. He has learned the business from the bottom up and that drew my wife Jo and me to want to be associated with him and the Star Racing NHRA motorcycle team.”

“Scott and Jo are great people, “said George Bryce. “We worked together on several projects, including the first street legal 400 HP Harley and have more projects in the works. We have become good friends. I am really happy that UPI Performance has come on board to help Chaz build his future with Star Racing.”

Kennedy, in his rookie season of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competition, reached the semi-finals at the rain delayed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals Saturday at Texas Motorplex

JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME - The NHRA waited nine minutes for Steve Johnson. He needed two minutes more.

This was the scene last Sunday at the NHRA AAA Fall Nationals when Johnson could only watch when Andrew Hines singled for the Pro Stock Motorcycle victory.

"It was way more disheartening than the U.S. Nationals," admitted Johnson, when asked about the loss. "It's as disheartening as I can imagine. I'm a pretty shallow kind of guy. This is what I do, I race motorcycles. I don't have the family, kids in school or all of these other things going on. This is it. Everything I have got is for this."

Johnson rolled to the starting line as Hines staged and singled.  

"Not having a chance to race, and knowing I have a good bike." Johnson said. "And, I didn't know if we were going to win or lose. I just knew we were going to be there. To not be able to race was a bummer."

Johnson wondered if the NHRA could have flip-flopped the Pro Stock car and bike final round run order. He said race fans offered the same idea.

"I don't want to be politically correct," said Johnson. "I want change. I don't want to be the person who is the problem. I want to be the person who provides a solution. In a way, I am the problem but maybe this situation will provide a solution to these kinds of solutions. Having said that, I don't know what it is like to run a race.

""I got a lot of emails, and the fans want to see two vehicles go down the track. If there's a way we can look at that and come up with something better, I'm all for supporting that kind of change."

Johnson said he hasn't spoken to Graham Light following Dallas.

"I was pretty mad when it was going down. It's pretty frustrating. I really thought they would have waited. I don't know what is going on. It's kind of ignorant. At the end of the day, it was my stuff that broke. It was nobody's fault but mine. I get that. I was pretty frustrated, and I went up into the press room and gave my interviews."

FOCUSED - Hector Arana Jr. has only one round win during the Countdown. Last weekend's event, the NHRA FallNationals in Dallas, was a forgettable experience for the entire Lucas Oil team.

Three bikes, three first round losses, one major points headache.

"If we worry about the points, we're going to stress ourselves out,” Arana Jr. said. “We can't do anything about that. All we can do is do our best and go rounds. If we do that, the rest will take care of itself. That's how we've got to keep our mindset."

Arana ranks fourth in points but understands a breakout performance is mandatory if he hopes to remain within striking distance of points leader Andrew Hines, who holds a 125-point advantage over him.

Last weekend Arana could have kept the deficit to a minimum but an explainable failure on the bike sent him packing early. Extensive investigations show the bike engine simply seized up.

"I was ahead of him on a good run and everything felt great," Arana recalled. "Then all of a sudden, boom, it was like someone stabbed the brakes on me. I went forward on the bike and my head hit the windshield. I pulled the clutch in as quick as I could. I knew something broke."

Dallas, Arana adamantly points out, is in the rear view mirror.

"I'm very motivated,” Arana Jr. said. “We worked hard this week, going through everything little thing on our bikes. We have done everything in our power to ensure that we'll have no more failures the rest of this Countdown season. If we can do that, and I can ride well, then I believe we still have a good shot."