Keep up with this weekend's FRAM AUTOLITE NHRA Nationals by reading our behind-the-scenes event notebook. We bring you the stories behind the numbers and win-lights throughout the course of the weekend. Tune in daily for the latest news from the pits.  

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

 

SUNDAY NOTEBOOK

A GOOD FIRST ENCOUNTER - HD Partners CEO and chairman Eddie Hartenstein met for the first time with owners and drivers here on Saturday. All interested parties considered it to be a good first encounter, but the general consensus was the HD Partners purchase of NHRA Pro Racing is still a wait and see proposition.

"It went well," said owner/driver Kenny Bernstein, who is also PRO president. "He doesn't have a definite game plan, but basically it's about getting more awareness for the sport and more exposure. More exposure means more sponsors and more sponsors means more dollars and more dollars means better gains...he's got all the right ideas."

But some believe that its not all about giving the HD group and Hartenstein the keys and let them driving unto the promised land.

"I think the guy can help us," said Pro Stock veteran Larry Morgan. "He seemed like a very personable guy. We needed that. I just hope something good comes out of it. We surely need some help out here. If they open up and help us all, it will be good for the sport. That's all I can hope for.

"It was just an introduction meeting more than anything else. We'll see more when everything is signed and sealed. But for right now, there wasn't anything he could offer anybody. He just wanted to introduce himself. I think the drivers need to unite and get together and decide whether they are going to help us. If not, we need to not race or something like that. I think they could be good for everybody, but they have to understand that we're all here struggling with every cent we can get our hands on. We're not going to put up with them making all the money without us not making a little just to get by."

Veteran Top Fuel racer Bob Vandergriff, who had sponsorship troubles before hooking up two years ago with United Parcel Services, is taking a wait-and-see approach.

"I think we're all very receptive to the message; we're all pulling for bigger and better things out here, but I think you have a lot of people sitting here with a wait-and-see attitude," Vandergriff said. "It's a lot harder for guys who have been out here as long as I have to do things than you originally envisioned. We see people with (big plans) show up all the time, and things don't happen the way the way they think they can make them happen.

"I'm just hoping they do have the ability (to grow the sport). We're optimistic about what they are trying to do, but I think we have a lot of people sitting back saying, 'Let's just see.' But all we can do is support them and hope they can pull off what they think they can do."

But others believe that because of the acquisition, NHRA drag racing could be on the cusp of something big.

"I was very impressed with the guy," said veteran driver Whit Bazemore, who has had the unique view of competing in the sport from a small independent to a driver on one of the top teams in the sport. "He seems to be extremely dynamic and very intelligent. He said things that made me feel like he was sincere in his desire to build the sport into something that is more financially viable for everybody.

"They are bringing new capital to the sport, and if you listen to NHRA management now, they claim they need that capital to take the sport somewhere else. I believe with HD Partners, and listening to what Eddie had to say (Saturday), they are obviously in a position to do that. They bought it for a reason. The reason is to make money, and I want NHRA to make a lot of money, and to be tremendously successful, because all of that trickles down. He came across as someone who has a very strong vision and a very strong ideal of where he wants us to go. I find that exciting and very positive."

While Hartenstein apparently didn't get into any specifics, Bazemore said he did talk about facilities, an issue Bazemore said the sport needs to address.

"There are races on our schedule I don't think we have any business going to do because they are not up to scale," Bazemore said. "They are places you can't successfully take a CEO or president of a sponsoring company and expect them to be impressed. Bristol (Tenn. Dragway) obviously is one you can. (Infineon Raceway) and other tracks like it are the types of tracks we need to promote our sport.

(Hartenstein) did address that. I think because of his background, he came across as someone who has a very strong and good understanding of the many different facets of our sport, which I was impressed with. He did touch on facilities. I think he understands that the facilities need to be top notch. He understands that the value of the sport isn't what it should be to the value of corporate America. He understands that it is an under-sold product. Those are all good positive things, because if he thought it was great, then obviously we're in trouble.

"Parts of our sport are great, but there are parts that need attention. It sounds like from what he said that he understands that, and is someone with his partners who will address that. And to me, that's tremendously exciting."

HARKER OK - Top Alcohol Dragster driver Kate Harker, of Gainesville, Ga., was unhurt after experiencing a blowover in her second-round loss to Aaron Olivarez on Sunday.

Harker, who qualified third, looked to be making a normal run when her dragster climbed into a wheelstand near the 330-foot marker before blowing over about halftrack. The car did a pirouette on the rear tires before flipping twice, slamming into the wall and finally coming to a rest.

She was alert and talking to safety officials before being transported to Santa Rosa (Calif.) Memorial Hospital for evaluation. She was later released and returned to the track.

TOP FUEL

THE SCHU FITS - Tony Schumacher may have struggled somewhat during the early portion of the 2007 POWERade Series season, but he left little doubt about who the top dog is in Top Fuel Sunday.

The four-time champion won for the third time in the past four events and the fourth time this season by dominating eliminations at the Fram-Autolite Nationals.

Schumacher, winner of 39 career national events, lived in the low elapsed time neighborhood all day, making four consecutive runs of 4.558-seconds or quicker, including his stout 4.534 pass to beat 10-time finalist Bob Vandergriff Jr. in the final. The performance moved him into second place in the POWERade Series standings, where he trails leader Hot Rod Fuller by 128 points. He also clinched a spot in the Countdown for the Championship "playoff."

"(Crew chief Alan Johnson) just woke up and said, 'You ready to win a race?'" Schumacher said. "Nothing is ever guaranteed because this is such a tough sport, but that gives you confidence. Then when it went down the track (in a first-round win over Cory McClenathan) and ran a (4.542) when everyone else is smoking the tires you just wonder how Alan pulls it off sometimes. He's so good. (Everyone else) just mis-read the air. Once he's got a handle on it, he's hard to beat."

He was Sunday. It opened with the 4.54 over McClenathan before Schumacher grabbed wins with a 4.537 over Hillary Will, a 4.558 over top-qualifier Doug Herbert and the 4.534, which was low E.T. of the meet, over Vandergriff.

"It was just a machine," Schumacher said. "If the crew chief can trust you that you're not going to leave early and you're not going to drive (out of the groove), he can give you a good car."

But it also wasn't like Schumacher wasn't nervous, which he admitted he had such feelings prior to the opening round.

"I wanted to pedal it five times in the first round," he said. "It wasn't spinning the tires, but everyone was smoking the tires, so you're saying, 'Now?...Now?' Then you realize, 'Wait, I've got Alan Johnson.' It was just a bracket car. It was great."

SO CLOSE HE COULD TASTE IT - Maybe 11 times will be a charm for Bob Vandergriff Jr., who once again came up short in his quest to score his initial POWERade Series victory.

The Southern California native, who came into the event 0 for 9 in final rounds, lost in the money round to Schumacher, despite running a very respectable 4.597. Schumacher, who blistered his rival with a 4.534, which was low elapsed time of the meet, felt for Vandergriff. Schumacher himself didn't score his first victory until his ninth final-round appearance. He has since won 39 national events and four Top Fuel titles.

"I told him this was an outstanding race and if you're going to win, that's what you have to get," Schumacher said. "His car was right there until the very end. It was a good, brilliant effort. The fans got their money's worth. I had Scott Kalitta, who I couldn't beat. I got him in (1999). That's who you want to race (when in that position). You want to race someone like (Brandon) Bernstein or (Larry) Dixon...he'll get his chance. The car's running good.

"He's been to 10 finals. That's a lot of final rounds. He just has to keep his chin up. You can't let that get you down, because you just got beat by (4.53). Unfortunately for him, I got (to the finish line) first. It's just one of those things. I've been there. Someone has to come out on top of this deal. He'll have his chance."

THE JINX CONTINUES - When is qualifying No. 1 in a motor sports event not a good thing?

Apparently when you do it in Top Fuel, which has now seen it's No. 1 qualifier fail to go on to win the event for the 16th consecutive race going back to last season. The last dragster entry to win from the pole was Schumacher, who pulled the trick at the ACDelco Nationals in Las Vegas this past October.

Doug Herbert, who laughed at the so-called jinx after taking the pole with a 4.556, looked primed to break the string after scoring wins over Morgan Lucas and Larry Dixon in the first two rounds. But the jinx struck back when Herbert blazed the slicks in a semi-final loss to Schumacher.

"We knew the U.S. Army car was good, and we had to step it up," Herbert said. "Unfortunately we stepped it up just a little too much and smoked the tires. The big things are we qualified No. 1, made points to help us gain ground on making the Countdown, and made it to the semifinals. That makes this a successful weekend.

"We were really consistent with our performance this weekend, and plan to keep it up. We will enjoy our weekend off and come back ready to keep going rounds and gaining points at Brainerd."

COUNTDOWN STARTS NOW FOR BAZEMORE - The Countdown to the Championship, the POWERade Series new playoff-style points system, doesn't officially begin until the 53rd U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis in September.

But as far as dragster rookie Whit Bazemore is concerned, it begins now. Bazemore, after a first-round loss to Hillary Will, remained in the top eight, but he also believes his Matco team can little afford another early-round exit.

"We have our work cut out for us," Bazemore said. "We dropped a cylinder and got beat in the first round. It's put us in a more precarious position than we'd like to be. But the fact is that we thrive under pressure, and now we have pressure on us. We're going to go out and make things happen.

"We are going to approach the next two races as they are the championship, because essentially, they are the championship for us. If we have a bad weekend, it could mean the end of it. We enjoy the pressure, and historically we've done well when our backs are against the wall. I feel like our backs are against the wall, so we have to come out swinging."

TOP EIGHT STAYS INTACT - There was no change among the top eight in points for this event. Hot Rod Fuller, who advanced to the semifinals before losing to Bob Vandergriff, continued to lead the standings and David Grubnic continued to hold onto the final spot for the upcoming Countdown to the Championship with now two races remaining before the cutoff.

Melanie Troxel, who trailed by 51, and Cory McClenathan, who was 70 back, both lost in the first round. Troxel, by qualifiying second, did cut her deficit to 45 points. Top qualifier Doug Herbert, who advanced to the semifinals, moved into the top 10 and trails Grubnic by 53 markers.

VANDERGRIFF HAS FULLER'S NUMBER - Vandergriff may have never one a national event, but he is proving this year he has what it takes to put points-leader Fuller on the trailer. The duo have met in the finals three times now this season and each time Vandergriff has come out on top. He did it Sunday with a steady 4.626, while Fuller smoked the tires and slowed to a 4.921.

FUNNY CAR

THIS ONE'S FOR ERIC - When you've won 124 national events, it's hard to say one is more pleasing the other. But John Force's victory Sunday in the Fram-Autolite Nationals may be the exception.

Force dedicated the win to fallen teammate Eric Medlen, who was died from injuries in a testing crash in March. Medlen was one of the sport's up-and-coming drivers. He had won here last season and was a crowd favorite in the Sonoma Valley, having grown up in nearby Oakdale, Calif. Force's post-race thoughts were all about his "son."

"This was a big win for a lot of reasons," said Force, who scored the win when he beat Del Worsham in the final round with a solid 4.831 at 320.58 mph. "But Eric was the main reason. Everyone needs a cause. It was funny because I wasn't up this morning because I had to face (daughter Ashley Force). I was really stressed with mix emotions, because I want her to win, but I have to stay in this chase. Then you look in the final and you're facing a young kid like Worsham. I told (crew chief Austin Coil) that I don't have much to give. He said, 'Well, the hardest race of the day you had was against Ashley.' I thought about it, and it was true. It's tough to race your own children and Eric Medlen was like my own child, my son.

"This was a race he won. I can remember him as the crazy kid eating ice cream, yelling and screaming. So at my driver's meeting we all prayed and I told Ashley and (Robert Hight), 'Ashley, Robert, when we get finished here, one of us has to win.' I got John (Medlen) a win at Bristol (Tenn.) and today I got one for (Eric's) mom and the whole town of Oakdale. Coil told me, 'Force, if you're going to get tired, now's not the time. Suck it up and win this race and get this win for the kid who gave his life for this team.' That’s what we did."

Force did it like the Force of old -- dominance.

Force opened in grand style, beating Ashley Force with a stout 4.793 at 324.36 mph. He then followed it up with a 5.165 over Cruz Pedregon before beating Tommy Johnson Jr. and Worsham with runs of 4.910 and 4.831, respectively. Those were pretty impressive numbers for a team and driver that struggled getting round wins for the first portion of the season.

"We all just worked on this thing," said Force, who won for the second in three final rounds in the past four events. "It was a combination of everything being wrong. We just got in a rut. We made a change and it just got magical. The car couldn't win two rounds in a row and the next day it's going rounds. I don't know what happened. I wish I could tell you.

"We dissected the chassis and their identical. We looked at the clutches, and they are identical. It's just meant to be. There's a purpose for everything. I know there's a purpose for Eric. He saved Ashley, he saved Robert and a number of other drivers. Maybe just God wakes up one day and says, 'Eric, I need you up here.'"

One thing Force does know his that Eric has saved him too.

"That's how I'm thinking," Force said. "You laugh at me, but I'm used to be a beer drinker, a womanizer. I've done everything wrong. But I'm changing my ways. There's one person we owe here and we're been put on this earth for one reason and that's for God. I didnt' know that, because I was real stupid. Now I know. Eric saved me."

WORSHAM HAS BIG DAY - Del Worsham may not have won Sunday's Fram-Autolite Nationals, but he didn't walk away from the Sonoma Valley disappointed.

He scored his second final-round appearance of the season and made a major hit in the points, moving up to ninth. He now is just 85 points out of eighth, which would put him in the Countdown to the Championship.

"It really felt like our day, all day, and we went up there to beat John fair and square," Worsham said. "You travel to all these races, you come out here on Sunday all year long, and there are days that just feel a little different. A different look in all the guys' eyes, a bit of confidence instead of worry, and today was one of those days. It felt like our day. I could taste the win."

But Force had just little more, and it didn't help that Worsham's nitro coupe dropped a cylinder just before the finish line.

"We were good enough to win this race, and our car has been getting better race after race," he said. "We did just about everything right, and we gave them as big a race as they could handle, but we came up a few inches short at the other end. These cars do drop cylinders, it happens to everyone out here, but we had one go out on us with 300 feet between us and a gigantic win. We're smiling now, and we knew we had a great weekend and a great day, but it was tough to take at the moment."

RACING IS THICKER THAN BLOOD - John Force would like nothing better than his daughter Ashley to achieve the same type of success he's had in the sport, which includes more than 100 national event victories and 14 POWERade Series titles.

But she has to earn it.

That became abruptly clear in the first round of Sunday's Fram-Autolite Nationals, when father Force drilled her with a stout 4.793 pass at 324.36. Ashley Force, who did hold a slight advantage off the starting line, trailed with a 4.948.
It was the second meeting between the father and the daughter. Ashley won the first encounter in Atlanta earlier this season.

"It ran a (4.79) and went A-to-B," John Force said. "That's what motivates me. Ashley did her job. But I'm trying to stay in (the Countdown for the Championship) and I have Cruz (Pedregon) and (Tommy Johnson Jr.) breathing down my neck.

"Ashley did her job, but so did I. She knows I love her."

THIS ASHLEY WAS ALSO ONE AND DONE - It was a short racing day for Funny Car pole-setter Mike Ashley, who lost in the first round when he spun the tires near the 330-mark and lost to fellow New Yorker Tony Bartone.

"We were a little too aggressive for what we thought the track would hold," crew chief Brian Coradi said. "It just blew the tires off early in the pass."

Ashley took the positive approach.
 
"I still believe this is the very best team in drag racing today," Ashley said. "Let's face it, we're definitely disappointed, but we have nothing to be ashamed of. It's a beautiful day, the facilities here in Sonoma are awesome, and I'm surrounded by such amazing people.

"The up side of this weekend is, we didn't lose our position in the Countdown - we actually moved up because of our great qualifying effort, and we moved up a spot in the Skoal Showdown, too. Overall, it's really a huge positive weekend for us,"

PRO STOCK

NO GRAPES OF WRATH FOR ANDERSON, JUST A WIN - Greg Anderson, who admittedly had been in a slump over the past six national events, showed he is definitely back after scoring a win at the Fram-Autolite Nationals.
He had the dominant car in the class all day and wrapped it up with a victory over teammate Jason Line in the final round.

"It felt like we just one a championship," Anderson said of meeting his teammate in the final, meaning either way Summit Racing would walk a way with an event title. "You're only good as your last race, and we hadn't been very good lately, either car, either driver. So to have both cars make the final today, that was like winning the world championship to me.

"It's just so tough out here. It's a knock-down, drag-out brawl. We had a lot of success, but it's so easy to lose your step, and that's what happened to us."
The team fixed it this weekend. He qualified No. 1 then chewed up the competition, making consecutive low 6.6 runs before beating his teammate in the final with a 6.657.

"It's been a long time coming," Anderson said. "It may not have that long, but it felt like it. It's been work, work, and work. We haven't had a reason to be proud, and have come home with a frown on our faces. But now with can come home with a smile, and that will give us confidence and that's what it's all about. Hopefully, we can carry it through the rest of the season."

CONNOLLY PLEASED - David Connolly also was pleased with his performance, which included a semifinal round appearance. He lost in that round to Anderson, despite running a very solid 6.657.

"It was a good weekend," said Connolly. "We had to swap motors coming into raceday and we really weren't sure what to expect, but the Torco Racing Fuels Chevrolet performed real well. All of Victor's (Cagnazzi) motors have a ton of power right now, Tommy's (Utt) doing an excellent job of getting it down the track and that's exactly what we did on the first two runs. We got by Ron Krisher and Jeg Coughlin, who both have Cagnazzi power so we kind of knew what we were running and that we'd have to stay on our A-game.

"Greg's (Anderson) been running strong all weekend. I tried to cheat it a little bit to get a good reaction time. I let the clutch pedal kick up on my foot a little bit, got a little too relaxed in the driver's seat and the car started rolling. When I went to stop it, it was time to go. It's as shame. I had to beat a .025 or better, which isn't easy, but it is within striking distance. He left enough on the table for us to get in and capitalize, and really get the whole championship chase exciting. It didn't work out but we'll pack up and see what we can do at Brainerd. That track has been real good to us. It's a matter of practicing a little during the off week, getting our stuff freshened up and hitting it hard again."

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

ANOTHER SMITH WINS AT SONOMA - Matt Smith did not score his first win of his young career this weekend. The Pro Stock Motorcycle rider had already been a two-time winner, but his win here was still very special.

The reason?

His father, Rickie Smith also scored a win on this track, winning the Pro Stock class in 1993.

"It feels really good to come here and win," said the younger Smith, who beat Eddie Krawiec in the finals. "When dad won here in 1993, and I was here helping him, it felt good to come back here and win. It's just awesome."
Smith did it despite struggling with a tire shake most of the weekend. He qualified eighth, but looked solid on raceday, running a string of 6.9 passes before beating Krawiec with a 6.992 in the final.

"The bike was shaking in first and second gear all weekend," Smith said. "I was on the phone with dad and he wanted a few things he wanted us to try, but it just didn't work.

"We just got lucky, and that's what you need to win one of these things."

BAD LUCK PUTS SAMPEY ON THE TRAILER - While good luck worked for Smith, a case a bad fortune turned top-qualifier Angelle Sampey's day into a rather short one.

The three-time champion spun the tires hard off the launch in the first round and lost to Shawn Gann when she was disqualified for crossing the centerline.

"I'm crushed," said Sampey, who still managed to clinch a spot in the Countdown to the Championship despite her opening-round loss. "I couldn't believe what happened. I let the clutch out and the bike just bolted to the center. I tried to save it, but it was too late. It's all so disappointing since I truly believe that we had the bike to beat today.

"In the end, you want to be competing for world championships and now we'll definitely have that opportunity. But, I like to win races as well and I feel we missed out on one here in Sonoma."

 

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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK

IT'S NOT THE TRACK - There's nothing wrong with the asphalt at Infineon Raceay. That was the belief of nitro competitors, despite just six of 38 cars making it from A-to-B during the first qualifying session on Saturday.

"I think the track is good," said veteran Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon, whose nitro coupe spun the tires about 300 feet out and coasted to a 7.320-second run. “The challenge for most teams - and we fall right into that category - is that the air is real good here. It's not as warm as it could be; it's just about making the right adjustment. (Friday night) the conditions were as good as you could expect. (Saturday) we just got some more temperature. There's a fine line for the crew chiefs because they all want to run good, but the window is pretty small. I don't think you can contribute it to track issues. It's just comes down to being able to make the right adjustments. You did see a pair of (4.87s), one in each lane, I think. I think with the Funny Cars it really wasn't an issue, I think we just missed the set-up a little."

Points-leader Hot Rod Fuller led the Top Fuel charts, bumping his way into the 16-car field with a stout 4.562 at 323.66 mph. But only two other competitors -- Larry Dixon (4.609) and Doug Herbert (4.622) -- were able to make it down the quarter-mile under power. It was a similar situation in Funny Car, where only John Force (4.870), Jack Beckman (4.873) and Jim Head (4.943) were running at the finish line.

Veteran Top Fuel competitor Cory McClenathan said it had more to do with performance greed, than any issue with the track. "I think it's just getting warm out there," said McClenathan, whose Fram dragster shook the tires early and coasted through in 9.804 seconds.

"They do a great job with the track here. I can't blame the track (for Saturday's qualifying woes). When it gets warm and the sun's beating on it, it's just going to be a little trickier. I think also after seeing Rod Fuller go up there and (run a 4.56) and make a good run, we all kind of swung for the fence. It was probably our bad, but at the same time we wanted to try and move up some positions. There's not an issue with the track. NHRA, the Safety Safari is doing a great job preparing the track. We were just too aggressive, period."

MOONBEAM MAKES AN APPEARANCE - California attorney general Jerry Brown, who was tabbed with the nickname, "Moonbeam," by his political foes when he was California's governor in the 1970s, was a guest of NHRA legend Don "The Snake" Prudhomme on Saturday. “To tell you the truth, I've never been here before, at least not in modern times," Brown said. "I wanted to see what this was like. I heard about it, but wanted to see it for myself. It's pretty exciting; it's loud, fast and there's a lot of smoke. I like it."

MORE GUESTS ON THE WAY - Muscial legend Sammy Hagar, a resident of Mill Valley, Calif., will be four-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher's guest on Sunday. Hagar will trade an autographed guitar for an autographed helmet from Schumacher.

TOP FUEL

WHAT JINX? - That's the way Top Fuel top qualifier Doug Herbert feels about the so-called qualifying jinx in Top Fuel, where the No. 1 qualifier has not won from the top hole since Tony Schumacher's win at the ACDelco Nationals in Las Vegas this past October.

"We'll break that, no problem," said Herbert, who despite making two solid runs on Saturday didn't improve on Friday's low E.T. run of 4.556. "It's just a matter of luck. I don't think it's a jinx. It's just a matter of doing the right thing at the right time, and being at the right place. The last time I was No. 1 qualifier, I was runner up. Quite honestly, if we're runner-up here tomorrow, I won't be too disappointed."

But Herbert, who made it down the track twice on Saturday with a pair of low 4.60 runs, likes his chances. He also said he must make a big move if he expects to be in the new Countdown to the Championship.

"We need to start getting our act together if we're going to be the Countdown to the Championship," said Herbert, who began the event about five rounds of racing outside of the top eight. "We need a couple of nice runs and I think we have a race car that will be competitive for tomorrow. And running out of the No. 1 spot doesn't hurt either."

CHANGE IS GOOD - It's looking that way for McClenathan, whose first race with new crew chief Tony Shortall is progressing at a positive pace. The veteran, whose team replaced veteran tuner Wes Cerny with assistant crew chief Shortall, qualified 13th with a 4.668. He races Tony Schumacher in the first round Sunday morning.

"In all reality, Tony Shortall stepped up to be crew chief and Rahn Tobler is helping us this weekend," McClenathan said. "Rahn has some other things going that are really good for his future, and right now he was free for the weekend. I asked him to come in, and between (team owner) Scott Griffin and myself, I asked him to help us out, and he was kind enough to come in for the weekend. Tony Shortall can do this. I really believe Tony is one of the up and comers. We just decided to switch things around. We just want to get back to what we know we can do. We're still not out of the hunt yet. We just need to go A-to-B, win some rounds...that's my biggest focus right now. And between Tony Shortall and Rahn Tobler, I think they can make that happen.”

McClenathan also believes the switch was a necessary change. "I think it's been a tiring year for everybody over here, with the ownership change and everything else that's happened," the veteran said. "It's been tough on everybody, from the crew guys, to the driver, crew chief, and the sponsors. It was just one of those deals where Wes wanted to make a change also at the same time. It was basically the right thing to do on both sides. Wes called me afterwards and told me he would do whatever I wanted to help and I told him the same thing. We're still the best of friends. We'll stay that way forever."

CURFEW ISSUES STILL LINGERING - Whit Bazemore wasn't the only Top Fuel competitor who was a little irked when NHRA was forced to halt qualifying Friday night because of a hard 10 p.m. curfew, and allow competitors who did make a pass to keep their elapsed times.

"I think you have to look at it with a little common sense here," McClenathan said. "That would tell me to don't start a session if you can't finish it. And if you are going to have a time issue, then roll it back and start it earlier. Mother Nature didn't play a part in (missing the curfew), oildowns did, so if you don't have enough time to finish a session, don't run it. That's my problem with it.
"I understand they have a strict curfew here, but if that's the case, just start the session earlier. Whether you need two hours, three hours, whatever to complete the session, do whatever it takes. Don't penalize the guys who didn't get to run. Let Funny Car count. As long as you finish the group, I'm ok with that. But don't start a group and then don't finish and count it. That's wrong, because we're all fighting for points right now. I don't care if it's one point, or 10 points, it still makes a difference."

WHAT ME WORRY? - Certainly not Hot Rod Fuller, who came off the floor Saturday to earn the No. 3 qualifying position following a stout 4.562 pass during the first session on Saturday.

"I hadn't had too many runs like that in my career with that kind of pressure," said Fuller, who began the day out of the field at No. 18. "We were down to two runs, but this team is very capable. It just proves how strong (crew chief) Rob Flynn is, my crew is. It was pretty awesome to make that run and get in, and not only did we get in, but we moved up to third.

"I have a lot of confidence in my team's abilities, but you are always nervous because it's a machine and things can break. But I knew if nothing broke we would go down the track. I'd rather have the quickest run in the afternoon then (low E.T.). The (top qualifier) hasn't won this year in top fuel, but we'll take our chances from No. 3."

FUNNY CAR

ASHLEY STAYS ON TOP - Mike Ashley didn't improve on Friday's top-qualifying time of 4.743 at 326.79 mph. But with scorching track conditions at Infineon Raceway, he didn't have to.

Ashley remained the No. 1 qualifier for Sunday's Fram-Autolite Nationals and will race fellow New Yorker Tony Bartone in the first round of eliminations.

"It's exciting to qualify No. 1," Ashley said. "I thought it would hold up, based on the conditions. But you can never count that (John Force Racing) group out. But it's exciting. It's my fourth No. 1 this year, but the main thing is to win the race. We are in this Countdown to the Championship and we need points. Every point counts. We appreciate the points we get for qualifying, but we'd rather have the 20 per round we get (on race day)."

Ashley also found out what he can't do on Sunday.

"We treated it like a test session," Ashley said of Saturday's two qualifying sessions. "We deal with things that work, but sometimes with things that don't work. That's what we found out (Saturday) - what doesn't work, because you don't want to do that on race day. We found out what we can't do, and hopefully we won't do that on Sunday."

SCELZI'S SCARY MOMENT - Veteran Gary Scelzi had a scary moment this week, and it had nothing to do with his Oakley Dodge Charger.

Scelzi was racing his son, Dominic, at the go-kart track at Infineon Raceway earlier in the week when the two drivers bumped into each other.

"Dominic was two seconds faster than all of us," Scelzi said. "He and I race each other really hard, we go back and forth and we rub. The difference is when you flip one of these cars, you have seat belts, a roll cage and a wing to cushion the fall. So Dominic was passing me and then let me (get ahead). He was toying with all of us. I got real close to him, he left the bottom open and I dove under him. He then turned down and didn't see me. I wasn't all the way beside him, and my right front hooked his left rear. And he flipped in the air, twice, and landed on the ground with the car still on top of him.

"It scared the living hell out of me. I got out to get to him and fell down twice with my face in the dirt and thank God it just took his shoe off and bruised the inside of his leg. It could have been very, very nasty. We were lucky. That's what happens when you race. It was nothing intentional. I just wasn't in a spot where he could see me. He was actually following the course right. I just wanted to get beside him and show him I was there. But I didn't quite get there, and then he turned...it was kind of a freak accident. It should have spun us out. But it didn't, it hooked the tire and flipped him. It's one of the reasons we put him in these cars with seat belts and roll cages. One of the most fun days I've ever had was racing against him and have him kick my butt. It wasn't either one's fault. We were just racing and it was one of those things that happened. But when it's your own kid, and its a wreck and you're part of it...not a good feeling."

PREPPING FOR THE POST SEASON - That's how points-leader Ron Capps feels about the NHRA's new Countdown to the Championship.

"The countdown just completely changes everybody's approach," said Capps, who brought a 149-point edge into this weekend's event. "You almost have to go at it, at least (crew chief Ace McCulloch) does, as a football coach. He has to go in there like a pro football coach would, where you would have these great games (early in the season), but you have to get your team in the playoffs. And if you are going to have a bye (for the first round), you can't get lackadaisical. We're using that here. We've clinched (a spot in the top 8), so we're trying knew things, here and there. We haven't done real well lately, but we're still doing real good."

Now Capps wants to make sure he comes into the "playoffs" on a hot streak.
“You don't want to go in there (following) some bad games," Capps said. "You want to roll in there coming off some great games, you want to be peaking and be ready for the playoffs. And that's what we've been trying to do. We've been testing some new things, but now it's back to doing what we did at the beginning of the year. It's back to what we did at Gainesville (Fla.), Pomona (Calif.). Let's get back the eye of the tiger and try to win some races going into the Countdown. It's now a whole new deal. It's four new races and if you don't have your game together, at Indy, you're going to be hurting. You stumble there, you're not going to be one of those top four."

Capps, who has already clinched his spot, also likes watching those drivers who are on the edge of making or missing the cut.
 
"What's funny is that they are experiencing what I experienced," said Capps, who has finished in the top three the past two seasons. "When I went on TV (last season) and said it was like liquid was running out both sides of my body, I'm sure there were a few drivers who may have laughed at me. But now all those guys know what I was talking about. They are either going to make it in, or not. If they make it in, they are going to realize there are four races to stay in the top four and they are going to say 'Holy cow!"

IT'S OFFICIAL - John Force made official Saturday what Competitionplus.com readers already knew -- that veteran tuner Mike "Zippy" Neff will drive a fourth Funny Car for John Force Racing next season. The car will be tuned by John Medlen.

"We didn't plan to say anything because (Neff) and (Gary) Scelzi are still racing for a title (this year), just like us," Force said of his decision to hire Scelzi's crew chief. "But Don Schumacher (Scelzi's and Neff's boss) kind of announced it to the world. Our game plan was to wait until after the season, so there wouldn't be any distractions, because he has a job to do for Scelzi and Schumacher, just like I have a job to do for my team and sponsors. Bottom line, Mike Neff will be drive my fourth car."

Force said the deal-breaker was Neff's relationship with John Medlen.

"He gets along with John Medlen, that's one of the biggest things," Force said. "Plus, he has a history with Bernie (Fedderly). He went to work for Larry Minor when Bernie was there. Bottom line, he fits our system. He can stay with the car, test on Mondays, do all the appearances and, mainly, work with John Medlen."
 
ARM WRESTLING - Dan Davis of Ford isn't quite ready to take the wraps off the new Ford/Force nitro block quite yet. "Force and I are still negotiating on a few items," he said. News of this new endeavor came to light late last year and work began in the misnamed "off-season."

However, with the death of Eric Medlen and Force's quest to secure more safety in the cockpit for himself and all other nitro class drivers, the Ford/Force block - which will be made available to Top Fuel but not Funny Car participants - had to go on the backburner a bit.

The first block is close to fruition but Davis wants to make sure it's ready for prime time before he and the Force team unveil it. -- Anne Proffit

LAST IS BEST - Jack Beckman made the most flawless run of the third Funny Car session and crew chief Todd Okahara admitted the greatest variable in that success was being next-to-last in the qualifying order.

Okahara made some adjustments to the combination just before the water box. He debunked any theories the complex track conditions were the result of inconsistent track preparation.

"It’s really hard to go from the conditions that you have on Friday night and come in here on Saturday and run," Okahara said. "You have to pull back the right amount to make it down a 120-degree track. You have to pull back what you think will be enough to get you down the track. We pulled a whole lot out of it today." -- Bobby Bennett

MEDLEN CHARITY DEAL RAISES BIG MONEY - The Eric Medlen Nitro Night Charity Dinner at Fior d'Italia Restaurant on Thursday raised $15,690 for Speedway Children's Charities. The money will be distributed to qualified groups in Sonoma County in Medlen's name.

Medlen was one of the top up-and-coming drivers in the sport when he died in March from injuries suffered in a testing crash.

PRO STOCK

HE'S BAAAAK! - Greg Anderson has proven during the first two days at this weekend's event that his so-called slump may be a thing of the past. Anderson, who had not scored a pole in the past seven races and who was 2-4 in eliminations in the past six races, continued to step up in qualifying, lowering his low elapsed time mark at this event with a 6.605 on Saturday.

"I'm starting to remember why I like this place so much," Anderson said. "It's been very good to me in the past and that's definitely been the case this weekend. We needed a good weekend, a get-well weekend. We've had a little bit of a downer (lately), but this has been a good confidence builder for us. This place is exactly what the doctor ordered for me."

But Anderson also knows winning Sunday won't be easy. And he is expecting an equal race track.

"We can win in either lane," Anderson said. "In the past, the left lane has been better for the Pro Stock cars here, for whatever reason. But I've made my best runs in the right lane. There's no unfair advantage, and that's what I want. I just want everyone to have a fair chance and that's what we have here."

Anderson, who has already clinched his spot in the Countdown to the Championship, is also hoping to enter the NHRA's "playoffs" on sort of a roll.

"It's all about momentum," he said. "You have to run good, you have to execute good. But you have to have momentum, you have to have luck. I don't want to go into that chase with a six-game losing streak, or whatever you want to call it. We have to get back in the game and get that feeling back of what it's like to win. I've showed it before that confidence helps me a bunch. I love confidence and I love to win races. That's what drives me. I need to get that back before we get to the chase, then I think we'll be in good shape. It's been an uphill battle the past few races, but hopefully, it's behind us."

KEEPING AN EYE ON JOHNSON - Anderson may be the one to beat at most NHRA national events, but it doesn't mean he's not looking over his shoulder, and lately the performance of Allan Johnson has caught his eye.

Johnson is fourth in the points standings and has advanced to the finals at the past two events, including winning at Denver two weeks ago.

"They've obviously made huge gains, winning races and grabbing poles," Anderson said. "He's been doing a great job. If you're going to get a pole or win a race, he's one of the guys you have to get around. He's a huge bullet to dodge."

CONNOLLY LIKES HIS SPOT - David Connolly didn't qualify in the top spot in Pro Stock, but the championship contender wasn't exactly displeased with his performance during Saturday's qualifying sessions, either.

"We missed the set-up (Friday) night, came out this morning and were pretty fast in that session," said Connolly, who qualified fourth with a 6.622 and will race Ron Krisher in the first round. "Our Chevy Cobalt has been awesome all weekend, so far. We keep working on it though because it looks like Greg (Anderson) and Jason (Line) are getting back on their game. We'll have to step it up again if we want to keep pace. I've never won two in a row, so that would be something. I thought I might do it in Bristol but I got shut down because of driving. I have to stay up on the wheel and get it done tomorrow.

MORGAN GETS IN - Larry Morgan, who is desperately trying to hold on to his position in the Countdown to the Championship, began the day on the outside looking in. But all it took was a strong run on Saturday morning to solidify a spot in the 16-car field. He achieved it with a 6.659 pass at 207.56 mph. He races Allan Johnson in the first round.

"We just made a bad run last night," Morgan said. "We had a clutch problem, but we seem to have figured it out. It was a tad better Saturday."

PRO STOCK BIKE

SAMPEY STEPS UP - Who said you can't step up on Saturday at a summer time NHRA national event?

Three-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Angelle Sampey showed it's definitely possible. She took the top spot away from Friday's No. 1 qualifier with a stout 6.924 at 193.40 mph in the final qualifying session for Sunday's Fram-Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.

Sampey, who earned her third pole of the season and the 42nd of her career, was even surprised a bit by her performance.

"I'm pretty shocked myself," said Sampey, who opens eliminations opposite No. 16 Shawn Gann (7.150). "The bike wiggled really bad and I thought, 'Well, there goes that run.' Then (they) told me, 'Wait, you're No. 1.' I thought, 'How?' I just couldn't believe it. But we'll take it anyway we can get it. A (6.92) out in this heat is pretty awesome. I'm really proud of my team."

Now she is ready for Sunday.

"I'm just going to have to be on my game tomorrow," Sampey said. "My teammate (Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher) told me, 'You can't win from No. 1,' because that's how Top (Fuel's been). We don't believe that in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks, so we're going to try to prove him wrong."

CARBS MAKE IT GO! - At the beginning of this season, Geno Scali was the development rider for Vance & Hines Motorsports' Suzuki fuel injection system, as he's using one of their bikes, built at the VHM skunkworks in Brownsburg, Ind. and owned by the company. As the Suzuki runners begin to move into the 21st century with fuel delivery systems already used by their Buell and V-Rod competitiors, Scali, the 2003 Pro Stock Motorcycle champion, became the test bed for VHM's EFI.

A close look at Scali['s positioning in the Countdown for the Championship (11th coming into Sonoma) tells the tale of the tape. "I changed back to carburetion a few races ago," Geno said. "Can't you tell by the results?"

Well, kind of. Geno went one round in the season opener at Gainesville, failed to qualify at Houston, ran to the semis in Atlanta and then failed to qualify at St. Louis.

Scali returned to carburetion and he hit the quarterfinals in Chicago and did the same at Englishtown, N.J., then he went a single round in Norwalk, Ohio, and the quarterfinals again at Denver. "My season is starting to turn around and I'm hoping to make the Countdown." He felt he couldn't really do what he needed without the change.

Although he'd rather see Scali continue with fuel injection, Byron Hines is okay with the swap. "When he's found what he needs and is ready to return to fuel injection," Hines said," we'll put it back on the bike."

Scali meets up with three-time defending POWERade champion Andrew Hines in the first round on Sunday after qualifying 15th at 7.115, set in the Saturday morning session. -- Anne Proffit

SEEING GREEN - Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Ryan Schnitz has been MIA since the start of the season, as has his bike entrant Rob Muzzy, but not for the usual reasons. Muzzy has been developing the new ZX-14 Kawasaki for competition as the Team Green manufacturer returns to the NHRA POWERade wars after a four-year absence.

Muzzy's bike didn't even exist seven months ago. The Trim-Tex-sponsored machine made its debut at Bandimere Speedway near Denver earlier this month. After the motorcycle passed technical inspection in its premier appearance, Schnitz took it down the Denver track twice. The first time he didn't make weight and on the second occasion there was a miscommunication on lights. The third try, Schnitz didn't even leave the line and there was no fourth try.

"There is no substitute for taking it on the racetrack," Muzzy said. "We remade the clutch after Denver and yesterday had a mechanical failure (in the third qualifying run). A thrust bearing between the inner and outer hubs just wasn't strong enough, according to Muzzy. It was bending, which made the clutch slip.

Muzzy has been trying to figure out why this is their big problem and not anything else that's new on the bike, which, of course, is everything! "We narrowed it down and in Denver, we thought we'd fixed the problem. We are trying something to confirm that we've fixed it here. This is, you could say, revision number six!"

Schnitz improved on his Friday night mark of 7.718 in the heat of the afternoon Saturday during final qualifying when he set an ET of 7.565, but it still wasn't enough to make the show.

 

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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -- "OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THIS ONLY COME ONCE IN A LIFETIME" -- Mike Neff

Mike "Zippy" Neff figured he’d better accept a driving offer from John Force Racing because opportunities like that only come once in a lifetime. The current Don Schumacher Racing crew chief had earlier mentioned to his employer that he had an interest in filling the opening left in 2008 by the non-retiring, sabbatical-invoking Gary Scelzi.

Schumacher admitted in an interview with Torco’s ComptitionPlus.com that he didn’t know if he could fill the vacancy with a driver who had no nitro experience, much less alcohol racing credentials. 

John Force took that chance and made the offer. The crew chief, who answers to the nickname of Zippy, accepted. Force committed to doing what it took to bring Neff into the JFR fold.

Neff now has his lifetime opportunity. 

"It wasn’t like I always thought about being a driver," said Neff, who tuned Gary Scelzi to the 2005 Funny Car title. "I had an interest in driving and making some runs. When I was offered the deal from John Force Racing, it interested me. It was an exciting thing. It was hard for me to leave Don Schumacher Racing because it was such a good place to work. I’ve always been happy and I have had no complaints. I really like all of the people I work with and Don has always been really good to me.

"Driving a Funny Car is something I would love to do," Neff said. "I just couldn’t say no. I always felt that if I had turned down the opportunity that it would be something I’d always regret for not taking that challenge." 

While Schumacher expressed a gut feeling that Neff was going to become another crew chief at JFR, Neff said the driving gig is the only reason he’s departing. Otherwise, he’d stay put.

"It’s why I took the deal," Neff said. "I am not going over there to be a crew chief. Later on if I decide that I don’t want to drive, then I will deal with it then. I’m going over there to drive and not be a crew chief. 

Neff said if he became a crew chief it would be on his terms. But that’s only after he’s given the driving a shot.

Neff isn’t naïve. He knows his tuning talents are squarely tied into the mix. It doesn’t hurt his chances when you consider he used to work under Bernie Fedderly under the Larry Minor umbrella. 

The biggest thing I think they [JFR] were looking for was somebody who would fit in with the people they have and also remain someone that John Medlen wanted to work with," Neff said. "I would be honored to work with that talented staff. I really didn’t have any driving experience to be a draw for them. Whenever they talked to me they just wanted to give me the chance to do that.

"Tuning? I’m sure that had something to do with it. I’m sure that I have something that can add to the team and make that program a little better."

It’s the potential of that addition that could make some uneasy in the mix – especially Schumacher. Schumacher has said that he’s committed to keeping Neff in the loop until the program expires.

Schumacher also said the same thing about Bazemore just weeks before he released him in favor of Jack Beckman.

"The best thing for me to get a leg up on next year is to start testing but my focus and priority is finishing out this season with Schumacher and Scelzi," Neff said. "I want to win another championship. That is my commitment now. I have no intentions of leaving right now. I want to give it a 100% effort for the rest of the year. I don’t know what Don wants to do because I haven’t really talked to him since all of this was made public. As far as I know, I am planning on finishing the rest of the year."

Neff hasn’t talked with Schumacher since the news broke and doesn’t anticipate any uneasiness going forward until the completion of his verbal agreement with DSR. The verbal agreement is all that legally binds the parties involved.

"I guess it could be an uncomfortable situation to work in but I don’t know," Neff said. "Don has always been a good guy and doesn’t seem like the type that would let things like this anger him. He’ll be looking out for the best interests of the team like I am. I think the best interest for all would be for me to stay the rest of the year and continue on. I hope it isn’t an uncomfortable situation. I didn’t feel uncomfortable talking to him about the chance to go drive for JFR." – Bobby Bennett

 

TOP FUEL

 

IT'S TOO LATE - Not according to Matco Tools driver Whit Bazemore, who wasn't exactly pleased when NHRA and Infineon Raceway officials shut down Top Fuel qualifying halfway through Friday night's session because of a 10 p.m. curfew at the Bay Area track.

Conforming to the curfew, qualifying was halted and the eight competitors who did make runs down the quarter-mile were allowed to keep their elapsed times from that session. As a result, veteran Doug Herbert claimed the provisional pole with a 4.556-second run at 315.64 mph. The remaining 10 competitors where placed in the order based on their runs in Friday's afternoon session. 

Bazemore was irked equally by the latter decision to count the second session, and the late start of the evening session, which started at least 30 minutes after the originially scheduled time.

"It's pathetic," he said. "If the whole session can't get off, they should nullify the previous runs. But that's not the issue. The issue is that they were in this situation to begin with because of the late start and half the field got to run, and half the field didn't. They start late a lot. The professional racers have gone and tried to fix this and fix this, and you go back to Indy in the late 1990s when (an official) from Budweiser came and missed Kenny Bernstein's run because we were way late. 

"It got a little bit better after that, but this year alone we've been late many, many times. We're all frustrated, because we have to do our part to be successful, and the sanctioning body, they have a certain responsibility to not only the racers and the fans. And think about the fans, they pay money to see half the show. It's just not right. If they want to fine me, then fine me."

Herbert, meanwhile, counted it just his lucky night. 

"It's great," he said. "Obviously we got a lucky break, but I've had plenty of unlucky breaks over the years. Luck is like a bank, you make deposits and you make withdrawls. This was a withdraw. We're No. 1 and that's it."

Herbert is also said that there's really no way to know for certain if a team might have been able to step up and knocked him off the perch, even though some of the sport's heavy hitters, including Brandon Bernstein and Tony Schumacher, were back in line. 

"I don't know," he said. "It was getting pretty cold. I think it would have been hard to tune a car to go down the track, but if someone would have tuned their car right, yeah, I'm sure it would have. But what've, could've, should've, didn't."

THE FUEL PUMP DOCTOR IS IN - Fuel pumps have been the Achilles' heel for the Don Schumacher Racing U.S. Army dragster team throughout the first half of the 2007 POWERade season. Driver Tony Schumacher has been able to qualify well enough in the first 14 races - landing in the top half of the field all but once - but the results haven't been DSR style until recently.

Schumacher's had the top qualifying time on six occasions but his engine hasn't kept up with the four-time champion. The car has had fuel pump troubles that stymied crew chief and uber-tuner Alan Johnson to no end.

The cure now appears to be in hand. Johnson took the offending piece back to his Santa Maria, Calif. workshop and put the pump in the hands of Terry Morrow for diagnostics after Denver. Schumacher won at Seattle and is primed for fast runs again this weekend.

Tuner Nick Peters said Morrow put the pump on the dyno to find out what the problem was and he believes Morrow has the unit cleaned and ready for action this weekend. - Annie Proffit

 

FUNNY CAR

 

WHO CARES ABOUT NO. 1? - Certainly not Mike Ashley, who is positioned to take his fourth No. 1 qualifier award of the season after earning the provisional pole with a stout 4.743 at a track-record 326.79 mph. It's not that the New York native isn't happy about the possibility of scoring another pole, it's just he has bigger fish to fry, mainly race wins.

"No. 1 is great, but I've been No. 1 before," Ashley said. "I'd rather win the race. That's more important. We'll hope the No. 1 stays up there, but we're looking for points towards the Countdown to the Championship, because right now we're third and we'd like to be No. 1 by the time the (chase) begins at Indy.This is the sixth time we've set a track record. It's a real testament to the team and (crew chiefs) Brian Coradi and Mark Oswald. They've been doing a great job.

"Tomorrow we'll be running our car just trying to get down the track, looking at what type of day we are running because that's what we're going to be facing on Sunday. We'll definitely be running our race-day setup and to be honest, we're going to try and test some stuff. We don't think we'll have to go faster than 4.74 (to keep the pole). If we do, it'll be a miracle."

SEND IN THE REINFORCEMENTS - Funny Cars are not intended to become confetti on a regular basis but several prominent body-shredding incidents inspired Roush Racing to take a few extra precautions prior to this weekend’s event. A truck arrived in Sonoma prior to the event and the bodies contained within were taken to a rented shop in Long beach, California, where the hood sections were given extra bracing and reinforcement at no charge.

Cruz Pedregon was one of the beneficiaries of Roush Racing flying in a crew of engineers to make the necessary changes.

"We have to give them credit but at the same time, we have been trying to tell them a problem existed," Pedregon said. "They never really bought into it until a couple more incidents transpired. The cars are a little heavier but by the time you paint them and put some titanium in there, you are looking at a $60,000 bill. From an owner's standpoint, we put on a little weight and that’s no problem. But, you can’t back-fire a blower and lose your body. You have to be able to salvage something."

Pedregon and his brother Tony had a first-hand look at the manufacturing shortcomings that left a weakened hood area. On Tony’s first run, the hood area caved in. Several races later, fellow Chevrolet racer Del Worsham disintegrated a body as did Tommy Johnson, Jr. last weekend in Sonoma.

"The Impala bodies are great, but they just aren’t strong," Pedregon said. "They are flimsy. We’ve had to go through extra lengths to mount them. Murf McKinney normally mounts our bodies but we have had to go through extra lengths and do things we normally don’t usually have to do."

According to Pedregon, Roush Racing transported a semi-truck full of bodies that reportedly included his, Del Worsham’s and several others to Long Beach. Pedregon said he and other Impala teams were told not to run their current bodies until the Roush team could work on them.

Pedregon said he was prepared to run the Monte Carlo body in Sonoma.

"They didn’t wait until Indy, the came out here and that couldn’t have been cheap," Pedregon said. "We pay a lot of money for these bodies and we have a lot at stake. Hopefully the new bodies will have the reinforcements implemented and we won’t have to worry about bodies flying apart and we can concentrate on racing them.

‘They didn’t have to ask us twice to make the Impala bodies available. I was sitting in line to run and watched those bodies explode. I’ve been through many of those explosions and there’s a balance between light weight and durability. It has been out of balance for a while. I’m glad to see it get balanced again." – Bobby Bennett

MINDING HIS P'S AND Q'S - No, Tony Pedregon has not changed sponsors. It just seems that way. But in reality, it's just another marketing coup for the 2003 POWERade Series Funny Champion, who for this weekend's Fram-Autolite Nationals has shed Q Racing green for Prestone Yellow.

"It's just a one race partnership," said Pedregon, who is fourth in points after the first 14 national events. "I've worked with (Prestone) for a lot of years, even back to my (John Force Racing) days. There's a lot of focus among many companies towards the Hispanic market, (and) it's tough for some of these companies to pass up on. It's great opportunity. (Honeywell with Prestone) was looking into doing something to leverage that market. As an owner, as a driver, I constantly try to promote my heritage...we'd love to have more hispanics come to the races. We all know the demographics. They are all do-it-yourselvers, just like I am.

"But on the business side, I've partnered up with Fram and Autolite, and Prestone as a spokesperson. And because of that tie-in, that's really how this came about. A lot of the Q initiatives focus on that, and we did a lot of maneuvering. It's great to have a company like Quaker State that understands what we are trying to do as a race team. They understand the values of good partnerships. A lot of people probably don't realize it, but (Quaker State and Honeywell) are already doing business (together). Internally, we are bringing these businesses together to increase that business, because it's such a good matchup. My primary sponsor is an oil company, but they also provide filters, well Fram makes all of those filters, so there was already a good tie in."

There has been one negative, though. Pedregon, because of the one-race deal, is parked next to Fram Top Fuel dragster driver Cory McClenathan and his Carrier Boyz Racing team. His brother Cruz, the 1992 Funny Car champion, is usually his stablemate in the paddock.

"It's a little awkward," Pedregon said. "We were hoping we could be parked closer to each other, because we still do share clutch grinders and a lot of tools and machinery that we are used to using. We have a blower machine that they use, so we are running over there, and they are running over here. It's just for one race, and the pit area just worked out this way. We realize they are going to be a lot of guests from Honeywell, so we wanted to do it this way. But it will give us good exercise."

IN FOR THE LONG HAUL - Jim Head, who is surprisingly eighth in points coming into this weekend's event, isn't going anywhere.

Head, who runs his operation out of his own pocket, said Friday that he will continue to play cubic money as long as he remains in the hunt for the Countdown to the Championship. And coming into this weekend's event, that could be all the way into November.

Head, who has 14 round victories this season, is seventh in points, but more importantly is 121 markers ahead of ninth-place Cruz Pedregon with three races left before the cut-off. The top eight in each pro category following the national event in Reading, Pa. in late August, remain eligible for the POWERade Series title as part of NHRA's new Countdown to the Championship.

"(The plan has always been to) run 'em all until I fell out of the chase," said Head, who has advanced to one final round this season. "Then I was going to take a summer vacation. We'll probably end up running 'em all.

"I expected to be in the chase. That last time I worked this hard, I went into the Finals fifth. That was 1998. It's the last time I (really) tried, and I'm (in the top 10) again."

If Head does not make the cut for the final four, he said he will more than likely still compete at the final two events of the season in Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif.

"It's hard to say," Head said. "But I think I'll be there, because I like Vegas, I like Pomona. I'll always race at the end of the year, because I like those races. I might take a race off. But this thing is not beating me up financially because my business is doing real well."

 

PRO STOCK

 

WHAT, ME WORRY? - While earning three Pro Stock championships, Greg Anderson quite often seemed invincible. But things have changed this season.

The reason? His performance, or lack thereof, in recent weeks.

All Anderson and his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO needed apparently was the cool winds of the North Bay Area town of Sonoma, Calif.

Anderson, who held both ends of the Infineon Raceway track records for E.T. and Speed, lowered those marks with a very stout pass of 6.612 at 208.07 mph during Friday night's qualifying session.

The stellar pass, which even surprised Anderson a bit, ended a summer drought that has seen him post a less than typical 2-4 elimination round record over the past six events.

"It seems like four years instead of four races ago," Anderson said. "I don't want to sound like a spoiled-brat cry baby, but it has been a while. I'd like to say that (the struggles are because) we've developed a little bit of a lead coming into the chase and have took a few chances here to try different things, but don't get me wrong, we haven't intended to run as bad as we have lately. We just got too far off base, and I can't blame it all on experimental parts. We needed to get our act back in the game.

"But obviously we had it all together on that run. I still have to look at the data, see what we got, see if we have any more room left (for improvement), but I'm pretty happy."

But Anderson is hoping it,s not short-lived. He knows with a 10:30 a.m. session scheduled for Saturday, he could still slip off the top spot.

"It's not over," he said. "It's still not the pole. That's the quickest run here, but we'll see what happens tomorrow morning. I'm happy right now."

NOT JUST ANOTHER RACE - Jeg Coughlin Jr. may have clinched a spot in the upcoming Countdown to the Championship, which begins with this year's U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, but the two-time Pro Stock champion isn't about to take the next three POWERade Series events for granted.

"We still treat them as opportunities to win races," Coughlin said. "We just want to continue the momentum of the past several weeks. We're trying to just go as it as business as usual and try to improve on our insufficiencies. We've been fortunate to win a couple races recently, but the Countdown to the championship is going to be extremely exciting.

"We don't really have a whole lot of time to do some testing or really R&D at this point. I think the key is just going to have all your ducks in a row, have your engines ready, have your team ready, because come Indy, it's a four-race shootout."

Coughlin believes his team is ready. And his proven it recently, winning two races in three final rounds during the past six events. He still trails three-time champion Greg Anderson by 106 points coming into this event, but that deficit will be trimmed to 10 points per rules of the Countdown to the Championship.

"We've made some great strides over the last eight races," Coughlin said. "We've actually outscored them in round wins and points, but the season started with the first race, not eight races ago. But it's exciting for the fans, it's exciting for us. I think the Countdown to the Championship is going to be very stressful for the teams. But the real winners are going to be the fans."

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN - Larry Morgan's quest to qualify for the Countdown to the Championship may be dealt a near-fatal blow here this weekend. The Ohio-based driver, who is clinging to a 15-point lead over Vieri Gaines for the eighth and final spot, has yet to qualify for this weekend's event. He currently sits 17th after two sessions, mustering no better than a 6.698 pass down the Infineon Raceway quartermile. No. 10 Richie Stevens, who is 18 points behind, are currently qualified in the ninth and 11th positions, respectively.

 

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

 

FAVORITE TRACK? - It's not to difficult to figure out what Andrew Hines' favorite facility is on the 23-race NHRA POWERade Series tour. It's right here at Infineon Raceway, where Hines won two years ago and took the pole last year.

He continued to shine at the Bay Area track, taking the provisional pole with a 6.962. He was one of just six drivers to dip into the magical six-second barrier. 

"It's all of the above," Hines said. "I just love this facility. It's a little tricky riding through the road-race course. Drag bikes are not built for that. But it's fun all the way around. They have a great fan base here, and our bikes seem to respond to this track more than any other (facility). I really don't have an answer. We get about the same conditions at Englishtown, N.J., but we just don't seem to run as well there. This track just makes it a little easier on us.

"It feels good here because the bike is running so good. It runs through the gears harder than any other track. When you run here, it doesn't feel like that good of a pass, but when you get it stopped, you realize it was quick."

 

WINDY CONDITIONS - If riding a 200-mph Pro Stock Motorcycle wasn't dangerous enough, PSM had some else to fear - wind - with during first-day qualifying here on Friday. 

"The wind is just killing us," said U.S. Army rider Antron Brown, who qualified eighth with a pass of 7.042 at 186.18 mph. "I felt it from half-track on. The bike left good, but then it made a lurch in the middle. But we made a good run, so we're definitely heading in the right direction."

Provisional top-qualifier Andrew Hines felt it as well.

"It (hurt)," Hines said. "A head wind is a head wind, you just can't run fast in those things. The conditions we saw were pretty similar to what we saw in Chicago. We ran a 6.92 there, but we also weren't facing a head wind."

SIXES AND COUNTING... - PSM competitors finally were able to find the right combination during Friday's evening session, which produced six six-second passes.

Veteran Craig Treble was the first to dip below the seven-second barrier, qualifying third with a 6.983 run at 191.95 mph. He was followed by provisional pole setter Hines (6.962), No. 2 Angelle Sampey (6.968), No. 4 Chip Ellis (6.986) and Peggy Llewellyn (6.997).

"We kind of missed it in the first session," Treble said. "But we leaned on it and hit the screws (Friday night). "It was bad.

"We'll see if we can lean on it some more (Saturday morning)."  

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU? - Antron Brown wasn't expecting the news he received a couple of days ago. Wife Billie Jo is expecting their third child and is about six weeks along. It looks like daughter Arianna Celeste and son Anson will have a new family member to play with in another 7-1/2 months. "This is the last one!" Brown exclaimed.

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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK -- THE FREE AGENT STEAL OF THE CENTURY; Mike "Zippy Neff to bolt Don Schumacher Racing to drive for John Force

 

A battle is heating up in the Funny Car class and it doesn’t even have to do with one of the seven remaining positions available for the first cut of the NHRA’S Countdown to the Championship. This one is over personnel, and the impact it could have on the 2008 championship.

Make no bones about it. A full-out battle has erupted between the two largest multi-car teams in the Funny Car division – John Force Racing and Don Schumacher Racing. JFR fired the first salvo by verbally agreeing to make Mike “Zippy” Neff the driver of the returning fourth team car, which will be tuned by John Medlen.

Force representatives said Neff fit the criteria they sought in a potential driver. He had to exemplify a youthful look while being a willing participant in Monday testing and any public relations duties during the week. Oh yeah, he had to be willing and able to assist Medlen in the tuning chores.

That’s what has Schumacher on the tires. He said his gut feeling is that Neff won’t drive at all and this is just a ruse to raid his talent pool of tuners.

“I believe he will become a crew chief,” Schumacher said. “I believe, in my own mind, this is a situation that John has chosen to do with Zippy because my team is the only team out there that has challenged or beaten John Force Racing for world championships in the last few years.”

The promise of a driving job is what enticed Neff to enter into a verbal commitment with Force for 2008 and beyond. That’s the same verbal commitment Schumacher has in place with Neff for the 2007 season. Schumacher said he’d tried to get Neff under a formal contract but the process was continually delayed by Neff’s lack of interest in formalizing their agreement.

On the eve of the Countdown to the Championship, Schumacher is now looking to fill not only a driving job, replacing the departing Gary Scelzi, but he also needs to find another tuner.  While some are speculating that Scelzi will head to JFR as well, that is likely not to happen because of his clearly spoken desire to slow down and spend more time with his family. Don’t think he didn’t consider it, as various sources close to the situation have told Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com.

Schumacher says the move from tuner to driver for Neff is not a shock for him; what is a shock was that Neff took it after reportedly committing to another three years with him.

Schumacher alleges that Force’s persistence and promises of a brighter future was what swayed Neff.

“Mike had talked to me about it about a month or so ago,” Schumacher said. “He committed to me in Denver on Thursday and Friday that everything was fine and that he’s staying with me. We shook hands and a commitment was in place. He told me that he was not going over there and that was that.

“Then on Friday in Seattle we talked and John Force had been working him, working him, and working him about driving a car there [JFR Racing] and that it was the chance of a lifetime.

“I guess you have to sit back and determine what was the verbal agreement versus what was the written agreement,” Schumacher said. “Verbally, he’d committed to another three years. We shook hands and I figured that was that.”

Neff heads to JFR with limited driving experience as a driver but with a wealth of tuning experience. According to Schumacher, Neff made a few 100-foot squirts in Scelzi’s Funny Car during a test session but that’s it.

One has to wonder why if Neff was interested in driving he didn’t apply to become Scelzi’s replacement.

“He had mentioned it to me and one of the sponsors,” Schumacher said. “We had talked about it. But to take someone that has never driven even an alcohol car and put them in a championship car is a very difficult step to make. It just wasn’t something with the money he wanted and the amount of time and effort that it would take from the team to get him up to speed -- as I think we have seen with some of the things that have transpired in the last year or so with rookie drivers – it isn’t a desirable thing to put a young rookie into one of these cars. It is a difficult task. A fuel Funny Car isn’t an easy car to drive.”

As for Scelzi’s replacement, Schumacher says the list is still long and unresolved.

“I have spoken to a lot of drivers and the list of candidates is still long,” Schumacher said. “Until I really sort things out with Jim Jannard, Oakley and Mopar, I am not at liberty to say who the candidates are or who is leading the chase for the driving job. I have talked to a lot of people.

“Some of the people on the list are out there racing fuel Funny Cars, Top Fuel Dragsters, and even alcohol cars. There’s a large group of people that can potentially fit into this role. I am sure some of the people that we have talked to will surprise a lot of people.”

Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com attempted to reach Neff prior to this report but attempts were unsuccessful.

 
TOP FUEL


PROPER CLASSIFICATION – Tony Schumacher may be charging forward like a ground infantryman but his actions appear more like those of a high-flying jet pilot. The defending Top Fuel champion is clearly in the final drive towards the NHRA’s new Countdown to the Championship.

Only three races remain before the cut-off for the Countdown, which initially allows for the top eight point earners in the four professional classes to compete for the NHRA POWERade world championship.

Schumacher’s third win of the season at Pacific Raceways last weekend clearly solidified his position in the Countdown, which begins at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend.

“Any win is big in this series, but the one up in Seattle was definitely important considering the playoff format that’s forthcoming,” said the Chicago native. “We actually moved up a spot in the standings, which was nice. Hopefully, we can keep running well over the next three races and move up some more while building some momentum to kick it all off in Indy.”

If past history is any indication, Schumacher may get his momentum wish. While he’s never won at Infineon Raceway, he has two wins to his credit at Brainerd International Raceway and is a three-time winner at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.

“We have done pretty well at most of the tracks coming up on the schedule,” he said. “Even though we’ve never been to victory lane in Sonoma, we’ve been pretty close. We were in the finals last year against J.R. Todd and came up short. Maybe this year we’ll get it done.”

In 2007, Schumacher is bidding for an unprecedented fourth straight title and the fifth of his career.

“Our soldiers continually have a mission to complete and we always have one as well – winning world championships,” he said. “We won’t rest until the job is done.”

REMEMBERING A FRIEND – Brandon Bernstein won Las Vegas this year and in his acceptance of the trophy dedicated the victory to his fallen friend Eric Medlen. That was a special victory amidst three others thus far this season.

Bernstein would love a fifth, so he could win for his old friend at the venue closest to Medlen’s home.

“Eric was from Oakdale,” said Bernstein. “This track was very special to him because it was so close to home. And he won the Funny Car trophy at Infineon last year.

“Ever since we lost him, I wear a special Eric pin at the racetrack that has the image of his face on it, and every day I wear a special wrist band that is black and has his name on it. Additionally, I have a photo in the cockpit of our dragster of him with me and another friend, J.R. Todd. Dad and I have decals on our car as a tribute to Eric.

“Sometimes I still talk to him.

“Earlier this season when we won the Las Vegas event, I gave the trophy to Eric’s Mom, Mimi, who was at the race. And at our last win in Bristol, Eric’s dad came up on the podium with us. That’s the first time he’s done that since we lost Eric.

“All of us in the racing fraternity are trying to heal, but I still envision Eric bursting through our pit area with his big smile and his eyes glowing. His laugh was contagious and he was a practical joker. He was also a dedicated, untiring driver and crewmember and he loved driving that race car.

“My life was better for having Eric in it, but I still like to think his spirit hovers around every racetrack. It’s more comforting when I think he’s looking over us.

PUT UP OR SHUT UP – Melanie Troxel said it’s time to step up to the plate and deliver a home run. She is hovering on the outside of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship by only a mere 51 points and with only three race remaining before the chase begins, it show time for her and the rest of the Vietnam Veterans POW/MIA team.

"It wasn't that long ago we made some major changes to the way we run the car," said Troxel. "It takes a little while to get used to those changes, but we're not getting the job done on Sunday. The guys I know are working really hard looking at the computer trying to figure out what they need to do to tune the car. We've qualified well and none of it seems to matter when we get to Sunday. Bottom line, we need to go rounds on Sunday. There's absolutely nothing else that is going to make a difference in getting us in that top eight. The crew will do their best to tune the car to make it run good enough to win races on Sunday. I've got to be on my game and get up there and not make any mistakes. We need to leave the starting line first and get a head-start the next couple of races if we hope to have an opportunity."

Normally, she and Funny Car racer husband, Tommy Johnson, Jr. would take in some of the San Francisco Bay summertime activities, but not this time. She is clearly concentrating on her racing performance and is steering clear of any distractions. It's becoming more and more significant to gain any ground in the championship hunt and her rite of passage is to win rounds in Sonoma.

"I raced in Division 6 and 7 in my sportsman days in Alcohol dragster, so I've run on the west coast a lot," said Troxel, winner of the St. Louis race. "I'm very familiar with the racetracks. I love coming out to Sonoma and taking a day before the race starts and going around doing some wine tasting. This week, I'm not much in the mood for sight-seeing and recreation. We need to get down to business and we have three races remaining to focus on getting into the Countdown. Basically, it's not much time. We've got to be at our best and be completely focused. We do our best every race, not to say we haven't. There's no time to have any fun or to goof off right now. We have to absolutely get the job done if we're going to have a shot at getting in the top eight."

WHOLE LOTTA SHAKING GOING ON  - The earth moved yesterday in Sacramento, but not because of an earthquake. Doug Herbert and the Snap-on Tools Top Fuel team fired the Snap-on Tools dragster for DragQuake, an experiment of seismic proportions.
 
Melvyn Record of Infineon Raceway had a front row view of the action, sitting in the cockpit of the Snap-on Tools dragster as Herbert and the Snap-on crew brought the 7,000 horsepower machine to life.
 
As Herbert hit the throttle, members of the local media and several fans were taken aback by the sheer power and noise created by the powerful nitro-burning engine.
 
As those watching took in the excitement of hearing and seeing a Top Fuel dragster in person, Dr. Doug Brittsan, of Brittsan CPT, measured the movement of the earth with a mobile seismograph.
 
Once the dragster had been shut off, Dr. Brittsan got to work evaluating the data. End results? The movement of the earth created by the Snap-on Tools Top Fuel dragster was equivalent to an astounding 3.9 on the Richter scale.
 
“The biggest earthquake Sacramento could have would measure .2 Gs of horizontal acceleration,” said Dr. Brittsan, “and we had a reading of over two and half times that, .56 Gs of horizontal acceleration when he hit the throttle. It was just wild!”
 
“We were thrilled to have Doug and the Snap-on Tools crew come out to Sacramento today,” said Record. “This is one of Infineon Raceway’s biggest markets, and forty percent of our spectators will come from Sacramento. Giving the people the opportunity to see what dragsters can do was really special, and being in the Snap-on Tools dragster as it registered a 3.9 is something I won’t soon forget.”
 
Herbert and the Snap-on Tools Top Fuel team enjoyed being part of the experiment as well.
 
“We had a lot of fun,” said Herbert. “We set up at RPM Indoor Karting Racing, so the guys all had a chance to do a little go-kart racing last night.
 
“Today was just cool. Firing up the car and finding out it measured a 3.9 on the Richter scale was just awesome. I think we were able to show just how powerful these cars are. Now let’s hope everyone comes out to see it in person this weekend at Infineon.”


NEW CAT IN TOWN – Rod Fuller’s version of CATS continues this weekend in Sonoma. The unsponsored Top Fuel points leader has acquired backing throughout the 2007 with various dealers of the Caterpillar brand.

This weekend marks the fifth time that David Powers Motorsports and a Caterpillar dealer group have joined to back Fuller’s car.

The relationship between David Powers Motorsports and the CAT dealer groups is designed as a pilot program to increase technician recruiting. Caterpillar dealers are experiencing a shortage of technicians and NHRA drag racing offers a technician-rich recruiting environment to find qualified candidates with experienced mechanical backgrounds. Peterson Holding is the parent company to Peterson Tractor Co., Peterson Machinery Co. and Peterson Power Systems. Peterson has 19 locations in Northern California and Southern and Central Oregon and employs more than 1,000 people. 

“It’s awesome to again fly the yellow-and-black of Caterpillar,” Fuller said. “Two weeks ago at Denver, we put our Wagner CAT car in the winner’s circle. Our goal is to bookend the Western Swing with wins for the CAT dragster.”


FUNNY CAR


FINALLY, A HOME GAME – Ron Capps plays 22 games on the road. However, once a year when the tour comes to Sonoma, the current point leader feels that he’s racing in front of the home crowd.

Born in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and raised in the Bay Area, Capps plans to enjoy part of this week before and after the event with family now that he's clinched a spot in the top eight for the Countdown to the Championship playoff, which begins at the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day.

"It's great to clinch," said Capps, who is 149 points ahead of Robert Hight in the rankings. "It's great to know that we're in it, but we still want to roll into the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend as the points leader.

"We built those points up for a reason. If we want to test some things during a race weekend we could still do that, but, honestly, it's all about peaking at the right time, and we've said it before: We want to get to Indy and be peaking for the Countdown.

"Knock on wood, but we haven't had anything fall off the car, no oildowns, and the Brut guys have done a great job giving Ace a great car," during this grueling back-to-back six-race swing (Sonoma is the sixth), as well as all year. "Yeah, we lost to Ashley Force first round in Seattle on Sunday," Capps said, "but the car went down the track and it ran a pretty good number. A lot of people may not realize how good we still ran.

"If we had smoked the tires, that would have been a hard pill to swallow. Even when we lose we can't hang our heads too low. I hate to lose, but I try to pep Ace up and remind him that he's doing a great job."

Testing is something Capps might do during the next few races but you can bet that he’s gunning extra hard in Sonoma. He’s winless in Sonoma dating back to 1997.

IT'S GONNA BE TOUGH – John Force still has a memory problem. He can’t help but remember the times he and Eric Medlen were playing cowboy with two-time PRCA champion Jerold Camarillo on his ranch just outside Oakdale, Calif., Medlen's hometown.

Furthermore, it seems like only yesterday the two were floating in the pool at a Bay Area spa for an episode of the hit A&E Network TV series, Driving Force.

And it seems like only yesterday Force was celebrating with Medlen in the winners' circle at Infineon Raceway, site of the 20th annual FRAM/Autolite Nationals, where, in a perfect world, his young protégé this week would have been defending his Funny Car championship.

But, as Force so often has been reminded the last four months, the world is not perfect and Medlen, one of the brightest young stars of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, is gone now, his light extinguished in a freak accident during testing last March at Gainesville, Fla.

The impact of that loss will reverberate this week for friends and family: Eric's mother, Mimi, his uncle Steve, cousin Butch, Camarillo and his sister, Christie, and everyone else in Oakdale's close-knit cowboy community.

 However, it will be felt most deeply by the two people closest to Eric during his all-too-brief racing career: Force, the 14-time series champion who was friend and mentor, and John Medlen, the father and crew chief with whom he shared six tour victories and for whom he never finished worse than fifth in the driver standings.

Operating in such an emotionally charged environment, the two know they still have a job to do this week and that is to find a way to keep Force's Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang in the NHRA's Countdown to the Championship.

After a runner-up finish last week at Seattle, Wash., Force finds himself on the inside, looking out, for the first time all year. Only this week's race and two more remain before the NHRA certifies the eight cars eligible to compete for the $500,000 top prize.

"If Eric was here, he'd be right in the middle of (the Countdown)," Force said, "but he isn't, so his dad and I have to get him in the hunt."

HEY, HEY, IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY – Hey … spread the word. Mike Ashley’s celebrating a birthday this weekend.

As Ashley’s matured as a businessman, so has he as a drag racer.

As he entered this race last year, the New York mortgage banker was ranked 17th in POWERade Championship points but was coming off his best qualifying effort ever (No. 4 in Seattle the week prior), and went on to enjoy his first two round wins of the season en route to his first-ever semifinal finish.

"Realistically, last year was a building year for me, and I said it over and over again," Ashley said. "Since it was my first full year of Funny Car, the tracks were all new and I was learning the finer points of driving an 8,000-horsepower machine. This year we have all come together as a team and experienced the kind of success I knew we would."

Ashley is firmly ensconced in the No. 3 position in POWERade Championship points and poised to make the cut in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. He has to his credit two event wins, one runner-up and three semifinal finishes, three consecutive No. 1 qualifying performances, and five track speed records, including recording the fastest-ever run in Funny Car history at 334.32 mph.

"What a difference a year makes, right? We've really come a long way, and I have to give a lot of credit to Brian Corradi, Mark Oswald, Steve Boggs and the rest of the team. These guys really are the ones who have gotten the Torco Dodge into shape and running so well.

"Now, at the end of a six-week marathon, I know the guys really want to cap this off with a win, and I think we definitely know the track well enough to do that. We ran really strong here last year, and we just need to seal the deal with two more round wins on Sunday.  It's do-able, and I'm confident we will get the job done.

SUPERSTITIOUS? - Jack Beckman's newest crewmember can wield a powerful pen. In the last two races, he’s proven to carry a powerful lucky charm as well.

Although he knows little about crankshafts, pistons or blowers, author and journalist Harry Strunk has claimed himself a position alongside the winning Mail Terminal Services Dodge crew on the Don Schumacher Racing team as the team competes in the Western Swing of the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series and perhaps beyond.

"I don't know what it is like to lose on the track and I love it," proclaims Strunk in reference to helping MTS Dodge Charger R/T driver Jack Beckman win national titles in Denver and Seattle in the past 10 days. That includes nine straight match-ups. (Strunk counts the sole qualifying round in rain-delayed Seattle last week as a win also.) "God just put me in the right place at the right time and I'm enjoying the ride," he says.

Strunk showed up at the drag strip after convincing long-time friend and drag-racing legend Don Schumacher to allow him a behind-the-scenes look at NHRA drag racing. In the mode of George Plimpton's "Paper Lion," he is writing an action-packed novel about drag racing entitled "Burning More Than Rubber," as well as the biography of Schumacher and his racing teams. In addition, he is writing a weekly column in National Dragster and a blog for NHRA.com.

"Right now we're not sure we are going to let Harry go home," said a jubilant Beckman after Sunday's win in Seattle. Beckman represents a new generation of drivers who are gaining the respect and attention of fellow racers and fans alike. Additionally, Beckman is an instructor at Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School in Pomona, Calif., and has licensed more than 5,000 of the 35,000 drag racers out there today.

Strunk's deal with Schumacher was a trip on the Western Swing – races in Denver, Seattle and Sonoma - in return for his staying out of the way. It appears he has done such a good job of staying out of the way that Beckman is the only DSR team out of seven to have won the past two national events. Strunk's duties on the MTS team include dumping oil pans, filling fuel bottles and helping to pack the parachutes necessary for slowing the vehicle after speeds approaching 330 mph in a quarter mile.

"It was hard for me to imagine the amount of hard work, dedication and complexity necessary for winning in Top Fuel and Funny Car racing today," said Strunk of his experience. Attending Schumacher's races once per year for the last decade gave him no idea of what was going on behind the scenes. "Better education and simpler explanations of what is happening at the track would help a lot in building larger fan support," he said.

BACK IN THE HIGHLIGHT AGAIN – Just give Robert Hight a new chassis and he’ll run roughshod on the Funny Car field. In a time release fashion, of course.

After reaching the final round in four of his first five 2007 starts and posting the two quickest times in Funny Car history at 4.644 seconds (Pomona, Calif.) and 4.634 seconds (Phoenix), Hight found his title bid briefly sidetracked followed an engine explosion, fire and crash at Topeka, Kan., that forced him into a backup car.

"It wasn't very driver-friendly," Hight said of the chassis that was scrapped before last week's race at Seattle, Wash. "It's one that had been repaired from being twisted. It never hit anything, it just twisted after a few runs and, really, it was a mess. It's never been right."

As a result, the team began assembling a newly delivered chassis immediately after losing in the second round of the July 15th race at Denver.

"We were concerned because there always are new car bugs," Hight said, "but my guys did a great job. It drove like the old car we crashed a Topeka. I was really pleased with how it steered and I'm really excited now about Sonoma."

BETTER AND BETTER – You have to give props to Scott Kalitta when it comes to Funny Car racing. The former Top Fuel world champion just won’t give up.

“We just keep getting better and better,” Kalitta, a 45-year old resident of Palmetto, Fla., said. “Last week in Seattle was a fluke. The blower belt broke and that cost us a first-round win. Those things happen though. You just have to put it behind you and move on.

“Our car has been going down the race track better almost every time we make a lap now. We have learned a lot as this season has progressed, and I think we’re ready to go out there and pick up a Wally (trophy).”

Kalitta is currently 16th in POWERade championship points. He is 166 points shy of 8th place.


PRO STOCK


CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS – Greg Anderson may lead the points and already have a Countdown to the Championship berth in his possession, but the perfectionist in him has him pounding his fist. Anderson, simply put, likes nothing more than total dominance.

“Crunch Time” to Anderson is the second and third segments of the Countdown – the last six races of the season that will determine the 2007 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Champion.

“First we have to be there in those final two segments. Then we have to perform better than we have all season long. If we do that, then we’ll put ourselves in the position to win it all,” said the three-time Pro Stock champ (2003-2005). (For more on the Countdown to the Championship, see below.)

Anderson, who has 49 career wins, of which 47 have come in Pontiac-branded Pro Stock cars, has done well on the quarter-mile strip at Infineon Raceway. He won here in 2004 and 2005 and set the Infineon Raceway elapsed time – 6.631 seconds – and top speed – 207.82 mph – track records last year.

HAP-HAP-HAPPY – Jeg Coughlin is happy these days. He’s found there’s a direct correlation between happiness and his win-light coming on.

"I'd race every weekend year-round if I could," the three-time world champion said. "It has been a little exhausting and maybe like a kid at summer camp would tell you, we might all be a little homesick at this point, but it's been a lot of fun."

Coughlin has already secured a spot in the Countdown to the Championship eight-car playoff field. With 36 Pro Stock wins and 13 sportsman titles in his career, Coughlin also sits on the verge of a landmark 50th NHRA title, a plateau very few racers have ever reached. He'd love to finish his "Summer Swing" with No. 50 at one of his favorite tracks on the circuit.

"The hair on my arms stands up every time someone mentions 50 wins," the 37-year-old from Delaware, Ohio, said. "I never would have imagined I'd have so much success. It's been a blessing and a tribute to the great people we've surrounded ourselves with over the years. If I sit and think about it, I can remember every win and they are all very special to me and the entire JEGS family. I'm honored and humbled.

"It would be the perfect end to the summer to collect that 50th win at Sonoma. It's a track that can be extremely quick, which favors our team, and it's in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The staff there is second-to-none, and the fans are as knowledgeable and supportive of drag racing as any place we go."

TOEING THE LINE – Jason Line could see happiness headed his way if certain things work in his favor.

“This weekend would be a total success if I could duplicate my last year’s effort here this weekend,” said Jason Line, driver of the KB Racing LLC, Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO, as he set his sights on winning the upcoming 20th annual Fram Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway.

With only this race and two more remaining in the first segment of the Countdown to the Championship, Line knows it’s time for him and his Summit Racing Pontiac to make a move.

“We’ve had some issues and inconsistencies over the last few races and now need to turn those problems into opportunities and direct our focus to the second and third segment of the Countdown,” added Line, as he seeks to repeat as the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion.

HE DID WHAT? – You might better sit down somewhere when you read what we are about to say. Warren Johnson took a vacation.

Yes, you read right. He took some time off.

By his own admission, Johnson is happiest when deeply immersed in an engineering project. Whether grinding a set of heads for the 1,400-horsepower DRCE III in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac GTO or working on new components for the LSX aftermarket block, this avowed workaholic will use every waking hour to the fullest.

However, for the last two weeks, The Professor has been on somewhat of a forced sabbatical, traveling across the country with his wife Arlene in their motorhome as part of the NHRA’s traditional three-race “Western Swing”, stopping in Denver, CO and Seattle, WA before heading to the California wine country for this weekend’s Fram Autolite Nationals in Sonoma, CA.  Not surprisingly, despite being thousands of miles away from his Sugar Hill, GA shop, and not having any tools or race parts to work on, the resourceful Johnson has still found a way to overcome any potential withdrawal symptoms by passing the time productively, even while behind the wheel.

“Talk about your ultimate frustration – this is worse than being marooned on an island,” quipped Johnson. “In reality, though, all is not lost, because I will use this as what I call my cerebral time, thinking about projects I need to be working on, or others that are looming in the future, allowing me to formulate a game plan, not only for the rest of this season, but even looking forward into next year. I’ve got a few that I’ve worked on mentally that I will put into motion once we get back to the shop, which will hopefully bear some fruit in the near future.

“For example, driving between these three races, I can go over the last event, thinking about what we learned and how we can incorporate it into our GM Performance Parts GTO in order to improve our performance. As such, it is time well spent, and something I might not get to do at the shop, where I am usually occupied working on something physically, as opposed to this mental exercise. But at this point, I believe I’ve logged enough windshield time in our motorhome to last for the rest of the year.”


PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE


EMOTIONS RUNNING HIGH – Matt Smith brings some emotional memories with him this weekend at Infineon Raceway. Last year at the track, Smith had his first and only encounter with Eric Medlen.

“My former teammate Chip Ellis won in Sonoma last year, and he was sharing the winner’s circle interview with Eric Medlen,” said Smith. “Eric wanted to play the guitar and sing a song, but he didn’t have a pick. I got one out of my Oakley shoes and gave it to Eric so that he could play. He gave it back to me a little after that race. I knew right then and there that there was something special about him. Eric was one in a million and I will forever remember that moment.”

Another reason Infineon is so special to Smith is because this is where his dad (Rickie Smith) captured his first NHRA win in 1993.

“Dad got his first NHRA Wally here in ’93,” said Smith. “It would be awesome to win at the same track that dad won on. He is definitely someone I look up to, so to get a win here would be big in my books.”

THE LONE WOLF - So far Smith has become the only Pro Stock Motorcycle rider to clinch a spot in the Countdown to the Championship. Knowing that he has a set-in-stone spot is somewhat of a relief to Smith at this point in the season. However, with his Torco teammate Chris Rivas hanging on in the seventh spot, Smith knows there is still a lot of work to be done in the next few races.

“We are excited to have a spot so that we can run for the POWERade Championship,” said Smith. “But right now we need to focus on helping Chris stay in the top eight. This is definitely one of the hardest classes in the NHRA and with three races left to fight for those spots it is going to be tough, but we are up for the challenge.”

SHE’S COMING AROUND THE MOUNTAIN - In Denver two weeks ago, U.S. Army racer Angelle Sampey advanced to the finals and thus retained second-place in the points behind leader Matt Smith.

“The competition is so fierce in the motorcycle class that you better be on your game week in and week out or you’re going to find yourself on the outside looking in,” said the three-time world champion. “I’m looking forward to performing well the next few weeks in an effort to start the Countdown in strong fashion.”

While Sampey can focus on the Countdown, her teammate Antron Brown is fighting to qualify for the same. He trails eighth-place Steve Johnson by just three points and seventh-place Chris Rivas by 13 points.

 “There’s not a lot of ground to make up to get in, but we still need to go rounds over the next three races,” offered the New Jersey native. “Talk is cheap – we need to let our performance do the talking.”

Brown can take solace in the fact that he’s had success over the years at the next three tracks listed on the schedule. At Brainerd, in particular, he has four wins to his credit since 2000.

“That’s a huge positive that we can hang our hats on for sure,” he said.

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