NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SUNDAY FINAL - SCHUMACHER BECOMES SIXTH DRIVER TO WIN WESTERN SWING
Hight, Connolly and Sacramento’s Guidera round out FRAM-Autolite winners
He became the fourth Top Fuel driver (Larry Dixon in 2003 and Cory McClenathan in 1997 and Joe Amato in 1991) and the sixth driver overall (PS Greg Anderson in 2003, FC John Force in 1994) to sweep the Western Swing, the grueling stretch of three-races-in-three-weeks through Denver, Seattle and Sonoma.
“It’s been a lot of fun, the last couple of races have just been outstanding,” said Schumacher, who ran a 3.886 at 307.93 in his U.S. Army dragster to defeat local-favorite Hillary Will (Eureka, Calif.) and her KB Racing team’s 3.988 at 306.19 in the final. “Who would not trade places with our car? I love having the bulls-eye on me.”
The other winners at the 15th of 18 regular season races (24 total) in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series were Robert Hight (Funny Car), Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) and Matt Guidera (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
Schumacher, who beat the arch-rival Caterpillar team in the quarterfinals, clinched the
No. 1 seed in Top Fuel and the 20-point bonus that comes with it when
the points reset after the final regular season race, the Mac Tools
U.S. Nationals Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis.
“We got a lot of races left to win, people are saying we don’t even need to show up, but we want to win,” Schumacher said.
In Funny Car, Hight ran a 4.163 at 296.50 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang
to defeat one of his mentors when he first started working for John
Force Racing, Gary Densham, who ran a 4.222 at 289.14 in his Racebricks
Chevy Impala.
“It’s unbelievable, this is the third straight year that a JFR Ford has
been in the winner’s circle,” Hight said. “I’ve been at every national
event contested here, came as a spectator before I became a part of the
crew, and I dreamed of the day … that I would just work on a car. To
finally get a chance to work on a car and then drive in a car, it’s a
dream come true.”
The win was the third straight for John Force Racing at Infineon
Raceway, a streak that began in 2006 with the late Eric Medlen’s win
and continued in 2007 with John Force finding the winner’s circle.
Densham, meanwhile, didn’t leave empty-handed as he jumped up from eighth to sixth place, leap-frogging John Force and Ron Capps in the standings.
In Pro Stock, late-starter Dave Connolly powered his Charter
Communications Chevy Cobalt to a 6.628 at 207.69 to win the final in a
narrow holeshot over
Jeg Coughlin’s 6.627 at 207.24 in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt.
“I definitely had my doubts about this weekend (coming off the
disappointing loss at Seattle), but you can only beat this team down so
much before we’re going to bounce back,” said Connolly. “I hadn’t drove
that well and today I told myself it’s time to remove my head from my
rear.”In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Guidera won for the second time
this season aboard the Mohegan Sun Buell, earning a holeshot victory
with a 7.054 at 185.74 over Andrew Hines’ 7.026 at 187.34 on his
Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.
Guidera’s first two wins came at Reading 2007 and this year at the prestigious ACDelco Gatornationals, but he considered this won near his home in Loomis, Calif. the most cherished.
did today. I’m so glad my family could be here today and to have (team owner) Brian (Bozsum and wife) Linda here,” Guidera said.
The NHRA POWERade Series resumes in two weekends with the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Aug. 7-10 in Brainerd, Minn.
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Sunday's final results from the 21st annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway. The race is the 15th of 24 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - NHRA FUNNY CAR SOPHOMORE ASHLEY FORCE EARNS FIRST CAREER NO. 1 QUALIFIER
Brown, Edwards and Stoffer round out provisional No. 1 qualifiers
In a year of career-first milestones, NHRA sophomore Ashley Force checked off another on Saturday when she earned her first career No. 1 qualifier at the FRAM-Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway.
The other No. 1 qualifiers at the 15th of 18 regular season races (24 total) in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series were Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
Force’s 4.096-second pass at 301.60 mph in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang from Friday night held up and she will meet No. 16 qualifier Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Monster Energy Drink team in the first round of eliminations on Sunday. Force is bouyed by the fact that she not only set the pace on Friday night, but her team also had the quickest car in both qualifying sessions in the heat on Saturday.
“I already knew I had a great team but it really shows that (the No. 1) is not a fluke (from one good run) down the track in good conditions," said Force, who earlier this year earned her first career win and led the point standings for the first time in her career. "On race day, if you have a car that’s gone A to B every qualifying run, you know you’ve got a good chance. It gives you that much more confidence on Sunday."
The first career No. 1 qualifier for Force came in her 36th career race, 23 better than her legendary father John, who needed 59 races to earn his first career No. 1 qualifier (Baton Rouge, 1986).
“I would have only been four (so) I wouldn’t remember even if I was there. I was probably at the hotel pool, swimming,” Force said.
Force and Stoffer became the second pair of ladies to jointly qualify No. 1 at the same race – the first pair were Melanie Troxel in Top Fuel and Erica Enders in Pro Stock at Topeka 2006.
Brown glided down the track in his Matco Tools dragster in 3.805 seconds at 316.45 mph to earn the top spot in Top Fuel. It’s his third No. 1 qualifier in 2008, one shy of Top Fuel-leader Tony Schumacher’s four poles.
“Great job by our Matco team,” Brown said. “No wine for me tonight. I’m going to tune it up tonight and be ready for a battle tomorrow with that U.S. Army car.”
Points leader Tony Schumacher, pilot of “that U.S. Army car,” is shooting for a sweep of the Western Swing by closing out Sonoma on Sunday after celebrating wins at Denver and Seattle. He qualified second and will open with Doug Kalitta.
For Edwards, his 6.609 at 208.71 from Friday night in his Young Life Pontiac GTO held up Saturday. It was the sixth No. 1 qualifier of his career but his first since Dallas of 2001, a span of 146 races.
“We were fortunate we made a really nice run (Friday),” said Edwards. “It’s a great position to be in, but (Sunday’s) a different day. That No. 1 is a bulls-eye as far as I’m concerned. I’m going to race like I do every (Sunday), like an underdog.”
Edwards will meet No. 16 Larry Morgan in the first round having already moved past V Gaines into sixth position in the standings by virtue of his 8-to-1 advantage over Gaines in qualifying points.
“They’re giving away 118 (points Sunday) and I’m the only one who can get 118,” Edwards said. “Real happy with the weekend so far and hopefully we can keep it going.”
Stoffer earned the first No. 1 qualifier of her career – in her 96th career start – on her Geico Suzuki with a third-round qualifying pass at 6.962 at 191.21. She will meet No. 16 qualifier Fred Camarena of Placentia, Calif. in the first round of Sunday’s race.
“I started out as a bracket racer in Division 7 so this is a track I call home,” said Karen Stoffer. “We also have a lot of fans her so it’s neat to give them a treat of getting my first No. 1 qualifier … ever.”
Final eliminations begin Sunday at 11 a.m.
First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 21st annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway, the 15th of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Antron Brown, 3.805 seconds, 316.45 mph vs. 16. Steven Chrisman, 4.287, 273.83; 2. Tony Schumacher, 3.813, 314.09 vs. 15. Doug Kalitta, 4.154, 309.06; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 3.821, 310.98 vs. 14. J.R. Todd, 4.046, 309.77; 4. Doug Herbert, 3.839, 309.91 vs. 13. Cory McClenathan, 3.988, 301.67; 5. David Grubnic, 3.844, 311.77 vs. 12. Hillary Will, 3.898, 308.57; 6. Troy Buff, 3.845, 296.63 vs. 11. Steve Torrence, 3.888, 302.28; 7. Rod Fuller, 3.860, 311.20 vs. 10. Morgan Lucas, 3.868, 307.93; 8. Bob Vandergriff, 3.863, 305.36 vs. 9. Larry Dixon, 3.865, 309.56.
Funny Car -- 1. Ashley Force, Ford Mustang, 4.096, 301.60 vs. 16. Tommy Johnson Jr., Dodge Charger, 4.327, 286.38; 2. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.101, 299.80 vs. 15. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.276, 282.72; 3. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.110, 300.53 vs. 14. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.238, 290.51; 4. John Force, Mustang, 4.119, 298.80 vs. 13. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.220, 292.52; 5. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.121, 292.77 vs. 12. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.205, 287.41; 6. Del Worsham, Impala, 4.132, 295.98 vs. 11. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.194, 289.57; 7. Jerry Toliver, Charger, 4.136, 298.34 vs. 10. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.156, 297.29; 8. Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.146, 295.40 vs. 9. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.152, 297.42. Did Not Qualify: 17. Tony Bartone, 4.500, 293.09.
Pro Stock -- 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.609, 208.71 vs. 16. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.692, 205.94; 2. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.618, 208.55 vs. 15. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.688, 206.10; 3. Jason Line, GXP, 6.619, 207.94 vs. 14. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.668, 207.11; 4. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.620, 207.62 vs. 13. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.661, 206.57; 5. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.629, 209.33 vs. 12. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.661, 206.92; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.636, 207.53 vs. 11. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.656, 207.27; 7. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.638, 208.59 vs. 10. Justin Humphreys, Stratus, 6.652, 207.18; 8. Vinnie Deceglie, Stratus, 6.643, 206.92 vs. 9. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.647, 207.53. Did Not Qualify: 17. Ben Watson, 6.721, 204.39; 18. Max Naylor, 6.731, 205.44; 19. Gordie Rivera, 6.805, 203.09; 20. Lamar Swindoll Jr, 6.839, 203.34.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.962, 191.21 vs. 16. Freddie Camarena, Suzuki, 7.274, 183.34; 2. Chris Rivas, Buell, 6.964, 190.62 vs. 15. Angie McBride, Buell, 7.240, 182.58; 3. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.977, 189.12 vs. 14. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.154, 182.75; 4. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 6.980, 190.48 vs. 13. Peggy Llewellyn, Buell, 7.128, 186.38; 5. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 7.000, 188.44 vs. 12. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.111, 190.40; 6. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.033, 191.10 vs. 11. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.068, 188.62; 7. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.036, 188.99 vs. 10. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.061, 189.60; 8. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.040, 187.05 vs. 9. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.048, 189.04. Did Not Qualify: 17. Ryan Schnitz, 7.376, 176.58; 18. Jim Underdahl, 7.394, 186.05.
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - NHRA FUNNY CAR SOPHOMORE ASHLEY FORCE CLOSE TO FIRST CAREER NO. 1 QUALIFIER
Brown, Edwards and Rivas round out provisional No. 1 qualifiers
NHRA sophomore sensation Ashley Force powered her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position in Funny Car at the FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway on Friday.
The other provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 15th of 18 regular season races (24 total) in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series were Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Chris Rivas (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
Force’s 4.096-second pass at 301.60 mph would be her first career No. 1 qualifier in her 36th career race and Saturday’s forecast of temperatures in the mid- to upper-80s are favorable for Force to maintain that position. Her legendary father John needed 59 races to earn his first career No. 1 qualifier (Baton Rouge, 1986).
“It (being No. 1) is great. It was kind of a rush between rounds," Force said. "My guys were working so hard and you never know, you get a little nervous thinking, 'Did we put everything back together right? Did we do everything we wanted to?' They never let me down. They got it done exactly how they wanted it to be done. It showed when it went right down the track. It was easy for me the driver to get it from A to B.”
Brown glided down the track in his Matco Tools dragster in 3.805 seconds at 316.45 mph to earn the provisional top spot in Top Fuel.
"When you get those opportune times like we had tonight, you can wick it up and you know the track is going to take it. I knew that car was on a stellar run. We were happy with it," Brown said.
For Edwards, if his 6.609 at 208.71 in his Young Life Pontiac GTO holds up Saturday, it would be his sixth career No. 1 qualifier but his first since Dallas in 2001, a span of 146 races.
"Provisional is the big word; tomorrow will be another day, but for right now we’re No. 1," Edwards said. "We made a great run, and I’m proud of my team. When I let go of the chutes at the other end, I thought ‘Whatever that was, we can’t go any faster.’ That’s how good it felt to me."
Rivas, of Fresno, Calif., rode Drag Specialties S&S Buell to the top spot on the strength of a 6.987-second pass at 188.65. It would be Rivas’s class-best third No. 1 qualifier this season.
"This is my home track, and I would definitely say that I have high expectations for this weekend. I came in to this event wanting to win it; we’re No. 1 right now, and I don’t plan on losing it. That’s why I’m here; that’s why I do what I do."
Qualifying resumes Saturday with Q3 scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m. and Q4 slated to get underway at 2:15 p.m.
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 21st annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway, 15th of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Antron Brown, 3.805 seconds, 316.45 mph; 2. Tony Schumacher, 3.813, 314.09; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 3.821, 310.98; 4. Doug Herbert, 3.839, 309.91; 5. David Grubnic, 3.844, 311.77; 6. Troy Buff, 3.845, 296.63; 7. Rod Fuller, 3.860, 311.20; 8. Bob Vandergriff, 3.863, 305.36; 9. Larry Dixon, 3.865, 309.56; 10. Morgan Lucas, 3.868, 307.93; 11. Steve Torrence, 3.888, 302.28; 12. Hillary Will, 3.898, 308.57. Not Qualified: 13. J.R. Todd, 3.912, 309.77; 14. Doug Kalitta, 3.940, 309.06; 15. Cory McClenathan, 3.950, 293.09; 16. Steven Chrisman, 4.544, 255.68.
Funny Car -- 1. Ashley Force, Ford Mustang, 4.096, 301.60; 2. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.101, 299.80; 3. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.110, 300.53; 4. John Force, Mustang, 4.119, 298.80; 5. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.121, 292.77; 6. Del Worsham, Impala, 4.132, 295.98; 7. Jerry Toliver, Charger, 4.136, 298.34; 8. Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.146, 295.40; 9. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.152, 297.42; 10. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.156, 297.29; 11. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.194, 289.57; 12. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.205, 287.41. Not Qualified: 13. Jack Beckman, 4.218, 292.52; 14. Mike Neff, 4.229, 257.33; 15. Tony Bartone, 4.231, 293.09; 16. Tommy Johnson Jr., 4.234, 251.11; 17. Bob Tasca III, 4.620, 186.85.
Pro Stock -- 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.609, 208.71; 2. Jason Line, GXP, 6.619, 207.94; 3. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.620, 207.59; 4. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.626, 208.55; 5. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.629, 209.33; 6. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.638, 208.59; 7. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.640, 207.53; 8. Vinnie Deceglie, Stratus, 6.643, 206.92; 9. Justin Humphreys, Stratus, 6.652, 206.89; 10. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.656, 207.27; 11. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.661, 206.92; 12. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.661, 206.57. Not Qualified: 13. Greg Stanfield, 6.687, 205.41; 14. Larry Morgan, 6.717, 205.04; 15. V. Gaines, 6.718, 204.57; 16. Ben Watson, 6.719, 204.39; 17. Max Naylor, 6.743, 205.44; 18. Lamar Swindoll Jr, 6.755, 203.34; 19. Gordie Rivera, 6.787, 203.09; 20. Dave Connolly, 9.734, 92.95.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Chris Rivas, Buell, 6.987, 188.65; 2. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 7.000, 190.27; 3. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.003, 190.83; 4. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 7.006, 188.44; 5. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.017, 188.41; 6. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.033, 191.10; 7. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.056, 187.23; 8. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.068, 186.90; 9. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.072, 186.69; 10. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.090, 189.23; 11. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.096, 187.65; 12. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.111, 189.52. Not Qualified: 13. Peggy Llewellyn, 7.127, 185.15; 14. Jim Underdahl, 7.223, 185.46; 15. Junior Pippin, 7.246, 182.62; 16. Freddie Camarena, 7.248, 183.34; 17. Ryan Schnitz, 7.406, 175.84.
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EVENT PREVIEW - SCHUMACHER NO SURPRISE IN TOP FUEL AS REIGNING CHAMP CONTINUES STRANGLEHOLD ON FASTEST CATEGORY
There aren’t many synonyms for the word “dominant” that haven’t already been used to describe Tony Schumacher. Perhaps none exist.
Schumacher, the 38-year-old son of team owner and drag racing pioneer Don Schumacher, took only three years to prove himself as a professional driver after his Top Fuel debut in Indianapolis, the oldest and most storied stop on the NHRA POWERade Series tour, in 1996.
Maybe it was symbolic that the now five-time world champion – he’s won the last four titles and is working on a fifth consecutive, sixth overall – started his career in Indy and advanced to the final round in his first ever start.
Schumacher and the rest of the elite drivers of the NHRA POWERade Series come to Infineon Raceway in Northern California for the 21st annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals July 25-27, televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD. It’s the 15th of 24 events on the nationwide circuit and the third and final event of the Western Swing, the lauded and grueling summertime trek across the western U.S. The first stops are Denver and Seattle. After Sonoma, only three events remain in the regular season of the Countdown to the Championship and drivers will be scrambling for every extra point they can earn to make the playoffs and remain in the hunt for the 2008 NHRA POWERade Series world championship titles.
After winning in Seattle for the fourth time in his career, Schumacher enters Sonoma just two wins shy of earning his 50th trip to the Winner’s Circle. Before Sonoma, he’d won a stellar seven of nine final-round appearances in 2008 behind the brainpower of crew chief Alan Johnson.
“I’m really at a loss for words to describe what we’ve accomplished to date,” said Schumacher, prior to Sonoma’s event. “We’ve managed to win seven races and advance to two other final rounds in 14 races. Those numbers are pretty good, if you ask me.
“We just want to maintain our consistency. That’s how we won in Denver. We made sure we got down what was a very hot track each and every time. When we get to Indy we really have to have our game faces on. Assuming we’re still on top of the points at that time, we’ll have our lead shrunk to less than a couple of rounds of racing, which does not leave a lot of room for mistakes.”
Especially when there’s a pack of hungry and talented drivers just waiting to get in his way. Surprise talent Antron Brown sat second in the points after Seattle after switching from a Pro Stock Motorcycle to Top Fuel this season. He and Schumacher were teammates under the Don Schumacher Racing banner until 2008. Other threats include Brown’s teammate Rod Fuller, who narrowly missed winning his first world championship in 2007, and Larry Dixon. And at Infineon, you can never count out five-time event winner Doug Kalitta – who is getting inducted into the track’s hall of fame over the weekend.
“In the end, we just want to keep winning for our Soldiers,” said Schumacher, who with a victory in Sonoma could become the sixth driver to sweep the Western Swing in NHRA history, and the fourth in Top Fuel. “That’s what this race program is all about. We want to put smiles on the faces of all of our hard-working men and women. If we accomplish that, then we’ve done our job.”
The pack is no less hungry in Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
In Funny Car, independent team owner/driver Tim Wilkerson has kept the powerhouse teams guessing with an assist from team owner Don Prudhomme’s stable. Hot on his trail is the four-car team of John Force Racing, with driver/team owner John Force, his daughter Ashley Force, Robert Hight and Mike Neff, a former crew chief for now friendly rival Gary Scelzi’s entry, in the driver’s seat. Also in the hunt are Tony and Cruz Pedregon, brothers, team owners and drivers who followed their father into the sport.
In Pro Stock, Greg Anderson has taken control of the category in the same manner as Schumacher, with Kurt Johnson, and Anderson’s teammate Jason Line rounding out the top three after Seattle.
Pro Stock Motorcycle has been a battle between former world champion Andrew Hines and reigning title holder Matt Smith in the one and two spots, respectively, after the first stop of the Western Swing. Chip Ellis is third after eight of 17 events.
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