NHRA DALLAS NATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SUNDAY FINAL - ALL FOUR WORLD CHAMPS DEFEATED IN THE FINALS IN DRAMATIC CONCLUSION TO O’REILLY FALL NATIONALS
J.R. Todd had a military salute for Tony Schumacher on Sunday, but it wasn’t the kind Schumacher’s used to.
In fact, for the first time in NHRA history the reigning NHRA POWERade Series world champions were a stunning 0-4 in final rounds at the same event, the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex.
In Top Fuel, Todd brought back the same gesture he used at the top end of the track in 2006, when he defeated the five-time U.S. Army-backed world champion three times before team changes yielded a dry spell that stretched a year and a half and ended with this win.
“This one almost feels like a first event win,” Todd said. “The way this year has gone, I almost thought it would never turn around. Every race we’d be gaining ground in qualifying and I’d think ‘this is going to be it. Finally.’ And then we’d go out there and struggle first round on race day. Or if we’d get past first round, we’d never get past second round. Finally we got out of second round today and I thought, ‘Uh oh, we’ve got some momentum going now.’”
Todd earned the first victory for the two-car Lucas Oil team on a hole-shot, turning in a .068 reaction time at the starting line to Schumacher’s .084. He drove his Lucas Oil Octane Booster dragster to a 3.912 at 309.84 to a quicker and faster Schumacher, who piloted his U.S. Army dragster to a 3.910 at 310.63.
“If there was one guy I’d want to beat out here every day, it’d be him because he’s the toughest guy out here, and if you beat him, you’ve accomplished something at the end of the day,” Todd said.In Funny Car, Tim Wilkerson dealt Tony Pedregon his first loss of the year in five final rounds when he drove his Levi Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS to a 4.172 at 297.55 to Pedregon’s 4.206 at 295.98 in his Q Horsepower Chevy Impala SS. Wilkerson beat Bob Tasca and John Force to get there.
“Beating John Force and then beating Tony Pedregon, both champions, right? To be a champion you got to beat the champions, and that’s our goal,” Wilkerson said. “That’s what we came out to do this year. We’re not gonna back down from that goal.”
In Pro Stock, Greg Stanfield earned a shocking victory over Jeg Coughlin Jr. to keep himself in contention for the 2008 world championship title. Stanfield and Coughlin were tied at the gate with twin .015 reaction times, but Stanfield ran the defending NHRA POWERade Series world champion down to reach the finish line first in 6.678 at 206.35.Stanfield hoped to win the event in honor of Greg Hill, co-owner of his Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP team, and Hill’s granddaughter, who died after a car accident in Las Vegas before the race.
Stanfield became the fourth driver in NHRA history to win event titles in five different categories.
“He’s been through so much,” Stanfield said. “This whole team’s been through so much. We had a lot
of engine failures on the Western Swing and we really haven’t been able to get our team back to full steam. I felt like coming into this race we were probably 70 percent where we needed to be, as far as equipment. We’ve struggled and struggled and hopefully it’s a turn-around.”Chris Rivas stunned Matt Smith, the defending NHRA POWERade Series Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion, in the final round to earn his second event win of the year. Rivas drove his G-Squared/Drag Specialties Buell to a 7.024 at 183.97.
“There’s still a few little hiccup things that happened,” Rivas said. “That’s why I keep giving God the glory, because my lights today were ridiculous. You can’t win Pro Stock usually with (a) .176 light, and .117 and a .091 in the final.”
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Sunday's final results from the 23rd annual O'Reilly Super Start
Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex. The race is the
20th of 24 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
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SATURDAY FINAL QUALIFYING - HIGHT, DIXON, COUGHLIN, KRAWIEC EARN TOP QUALIFYING HONORS AT TEXAS MOTORPLEX
Even though it was only Saturday, points were the topic drivers wanted to talk about after the conclusion of qualifying at the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol.
In Funny Car, Robert Hight moved within one point of leaders Cruz Pedregon, who entered the weekend alone in the top spot, and Jack Beckman, who’s since joined him, in the standings after qualifying his Auto Club of Texas Ford Mustang in the top spot in 4.063 seconds, at 301.81 mph. A quick look down the point standings show the driver who goes deepest into eliminations Sunday will leave with the lead in the Countdown to the Championship point standings.
It’s not a fact lost on Hight, who hovered just below the leaders in the regular season and could now, realistically, regain the top spot for the first time since Gainesville in March.
“With this Countdown, not qualifying or first-round losses just kill you,” said Hight, whose 2007 title hopes basically ended with a DNQ at this event. “It’s obvious. But we don’t have an 
easy one tomorrow, with Jim Head. To be honest, I think he has a winning record against me. There are no easy ones. We’re going to have to earn this tomorrow to win it.”
Hight won at this track in 2006 after qualifying No. 1. This top qualifying award was his fourth of the year, 27th of his career and second in Dallas.
In Top Fuel, early-season rivals Tony Schumacher and Rod Fuller square off in Round 1 from the number eight and nine spots, respectively, as do teammates Doug Kalitta and Hillary Will. All four are in the Countdown to the Championship
Larry Dixon hung on to earn his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the year, the 31st of his career and his third at Texas Motorplex. He also led the Top Fuel category into race day in Dallas in 2001 and 1999.
“Instead of just coming out here and hurrying up and just making the run, the guys wanted to stay back and try to make the car perfect for tomorrow, knowing that even if we got bumped down, we’d still be in the top two or three positions,” said Dixon, who sat out the final round of qualifying after his U.S. Smokeless Tobacco dragster was injured in an earlier pass.
Jeg Coughlin’s second No. 1 qualifier of the season, the 14th of his career and his third in Dallas came on the heels of a 6.631 pass at 207.56 in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt.
“The track’s been very, very consistent, and the weather’s been very, very consistent,” Coughlin said. “I think we’re probably the most consistent car through qualifying and qualified on the pole. We’re looking forward to the first round of the day tomorrow. That’s what’s important, obviously.”
Eddie Krawiec drove his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to a 6.970 at 191.65 to earn his third No. 1 qualifier of the year and the third of his career in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
“To tell you the truth, I’m not really focusing on what’s happening out there,” Krawiec said. “I’m focusing on myself and making nice, straight, clean runs. Bottom line is, you’re racing yourself out there. You’re not racing anybody. If you keep focused, stay in your lane and just worry about what’s going on in your lane, I think just race the rounds and hopefully by the time you do good, it’ll be in the final and you’ll end up winning the thing.”
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First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 23rd annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex, the 20th 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. Larry Dixon, 3.820 seconds, 310.70 mph vs. 16. Morgan Lucas, 3.967, 301.20; 2. Brandon Bernstein, 3.842, 315.19 vs. 15. Doug Herbert, 3.946, 300.86; 3. Hillary Will, 3.849, 314.97 vs. 14. Doug Kalitta, 3.946, 309.06; 4.Bob Vandergriff, 3.861, 312.64 vs. 13. Clay Millican, 3.923, 304.80; 5. Cory McClenathan, 3.866, 313.00 vs. 12. Joe Hartley, 3.903, 299.93; 6. J.R. Todd,3.874, 307.72 vs. 11. Spencer Massey, 3.902, 307.23; 7. Steve Torrence, 3.874, 306.26 vs. 10. Antron Brown, 3.897, 309.06; 8. Tony Schumacher, 3.880, 310.98 vs. 9. Rod Fuller, 3.896, 308.50.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Tim Boychuk, 3.989, 285.59; 18. David Grubnic, 4.890, 306.95.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.063, 301.81 vs. 16. Jim Head, Toyota Solara, 4.198, 290.13; 2. Ashley Force, Mustang, 4.092, 304.46 vs. 15. Gary Scelzi, Dodge Charger, 4.195, 293.60; 3. Del Worsham, Chevy Impala, 4.092, 303.03 vs. 14. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.186, 292.84; 4. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.096, 304.67 vs. 13. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.175, 292.14; 5. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.099, 300.00 vs. 12. Jerry Toliver, Charger, 4.126, 300.13; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.099, 299.66 vs. 11. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.123, 299.73; 7. John Force, Mustang, 4.109, 301.33 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.120, 299.00; 8. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.110, 300.20 vs. 9. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.113, 303.71.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Tony Bartone, 4.262, 278.86; 18. Mike Neff, 4.270, 280.89; 19. Tommy Johnson Jr., 4.660, 201.97.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.631, 207.56 vs. 16. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.697, 206.57; 2. Jason Line, Pontiac GXP, 6.632, 207.91 vs. 15. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.689, 206.13; 3. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.638, 208.07 vs. 14. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.677, 206.57; 4. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.638, 207.11 vs. 13. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.670, 206.64; 5. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.640, 207.78 vs. 12. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.661, 206.61; 6. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.642, 207.30 vs. 11. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.658, 206.26; 7. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.646, 207.72 vs. 10. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.653, 206.42; 8. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.646, 206.95 vs. 9. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.648, 208.26.
Did Not Qualify: 17. John Nobile, 6.701, 206.42; 18. Richie Stevens, 6.703, 206.29; 19. Lamar Swindoll Jr, 6.792, 202.97; 20. Mark Buehring, 17.051, 201.76.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.970, 191.92 vs. 16. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.111, 185.46; 2. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.985, 191.27 vs. 15. Angie McBride, Buell, 7.109, 186.82; 3. Chris Rivas, Buell, 6.990, 190.67 vs. 14. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.106, 186.54; 4. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.001, 190.75 vs. 13. Peggy Llewellyn, Buell, 7.103, 186.10; 5. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 7.004, 190.40 vs. 12. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.067, 189.87; 6. Hector Arana,Buell, 7.008, 190.16 vs. 11. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.059, 188.60; 7. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 7.017, 187.42 vs. 10. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.055, 189.50; 8. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.032, 190.86 vs. 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.044, 189.79.
Did Not Qualify: 17. David Hope, 7.137, 184.88; 18. Michael Phillips, 7.161, 189.20; 19. Redell Harris, 7.315, 179.42.
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FRIDAY PROVISIONAL - DIXON OUT TO END STREAK AS HIGHT, COUGHLIN, KRAWIEC LOW AFTER DAY 1 OF QUALIFYING
Larry Dixon’s up to bat with two strikes and a day to go.
At the past two events, Dixon’s qualified No. 1 on the strength of his provisional nights of qualifying. And at the last two events, he didn’t make it out of the second round on Sunday.
On Friday, Dixon yet again went low to claim the title of provisional No. 1 qualifier – meaning he has a leg-up on the rest of the field entering the final two rounds before race day Sunday at the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol. Now it’s up to him and his U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Top Fuel dragster crew to break the streak.
“Too bad we don’t run the races on Friday night; we've obviously got that part down,” said Dixon, who drove to a 3.820-second pass at 310.70 mph. “That was a great run for us, and obviously (crew chief) Donnie (Bender) and Todd (Smith) are making the right calls on the tune-up. The next step would be to not smoke the tires on raceday.”
Qualifying continues Saturday at Texas Motorplex at 11:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
In Funny Car, two identical side-by-side passes dazzled the fans in a session that ultimately starred John Force Racing’s Robert Hight. Hight hopes this weekend brings a replay of 2006, where he qualified No. 1 and won the event before failing to qualify at the track in an emotional 2007.
Hight piloted his Auto Club of Texas Ford Mustang to a best-of-the-day 4.063 at 301.81 in his first two attempts at his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 27th of his career.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better day with two good runs, but even though it's a year later and everything is different, coming back here still brings back those bad memories, even 
though we did win here in 2006,” Hight said. “We also won Indy that year, as we did this year, so maybe everything is lining up.”
Jeg Coughlin is on the hunt for his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 14th of his career after posting a track record time and speed (6.631, 207.56) on Friday in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt.
“So far we've obviously had a great car to be No. 1,” Coughlin said. “We've made two very good runs, very straight and uneventful from behind the wheel, and ran 6.63 on both of them. Fast and consistent is what we're after, and so far it looks like it's working out.”
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Eddie Krawiec posted the best 
performance in the first and second rounds of qualifying, with both runs in the six-second range. He leads the category into Saturday’s final two rounds with a 6.970 at 191.65 – also track records - on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. It would be Krawiec’s third No. 1 qualifier of the season and the third of his career should his performance hang on through Saturday.
“That second session was a little screwy,” Krawiec said. “A lot of people anticipate better air when it gets darker and cooler out, but if you monitored the weather station, you'd see that although the air was getting better a lot of the other things that really make it good air were coming up, counter-reacting on itself. It wasn't as good as everyone thought. I'm just going out there trying to make consistent laps, whether the No. 1 qualifier comes or not. Of course, we'd like to have those eight points. We'd like to carry forward the momentum from our Charlotte runner-up because it's a pretty good points battle right now.”
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 23rd annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex, 20th of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 3.820 seconds, 310.70 mph; 2. Brandon Bernstein, 3.842, 315.19; 3. Hillary Will, 3.849, 314.97; 4. Bob Vandergriff, 3.861, 312.64; 5. Cory McClenathan, 3.866, 313.00; 6. J.R. Todd, 3.874, 307.72; 7. Steve Torrence, 3.874, 306.26; 8. Tony Schumacher, 3.880, 310.98; 9. Rod Fuller, 3.896, 308.50; 10. Antron Brown, 3.897, 309.06; 11. Spencer Massey, 3.902, 307.23; 12. Joe Hartley, 3.903, 299.93. Not Qualified: 13. Doug Herbert, 3.931, 295.92; 14. David Grubnic, 3.946, 306.95; 15. Clay Millican, 3.949, 302.89; 16. Morgan Lucas, 3.950, 301.20; 17. Doug Kalitta, 3.961, 309.06; 18. Tim Boychuk, 4.086, 285.59.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.063, 301.81; 2. Ashley Force, Mustang, 4.092, 304.46; 3. Del Worsham, Chevy Impala, 4.092, 303.03; 4. Melanie Troxel, Dodge Charger, 4.096, 304.67; 5. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.099, 300.00; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.099, 299.66; 7. John Force, Mustang, 4.109, 301.33; 8. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.110, 300.20; 9. Jeff Arend, Toyota Solara, 4.113, 303.71; 10. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.120, 299.00; 11. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.123, 299.73; 12. Jerry Toliver, Charger, 4.126, 300.13. Not Qualified: 13. Gary Scelzi, 4.189, 293.60; 14. Bob Tasca III, 4.200, 291.70; 15. Gary Densham, 4.216, 290.57; 16. Jim Head, 4.222, 284.51; 17. Mike Neff, 4.263, 280.89; 18. Tommy Johnson Jr., 4.885, 163.02; 19. Tony Bartone, 7.260, 86.64.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.631, 207.56; 2. Jason Line, Pontiac GXP, 6.632, 207.91; 3. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.638, 208.07; 4. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.638,
207.11; 5. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.640, 207.46; 6. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.642, 207.30; 7. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.646, 207.72; 8. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.646, 206.95; 9. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.653, 206.42; 10. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.655, 208.26; 11. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.658, 206.26; 12. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.661, 206.48. Not Qualified: 13. Justin Humphreys, 6.661, 206.64; 14. John Nobile, 6.666, 206.42; 15. Greg Stanfield, 6.666, 206.13; 16. Jim Yates, 6.669, 206.57; 17. Ron Krisher, 6.688, 206.57; 18. Richie Stevens, 6.690, 206.29; 19. Mark Buehring, 6.798, 201.76; 20. Lamar Swindoll Jr, broke.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.970, 191.65; 2. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.985, 190.94; 3. Chris Rivas, Buell, 6.990, 188.81; 4. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 7.004, 189.79; 5. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.008, 190.16; 6. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.044, 188.07; 7. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 7.053, 187.36; 8. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.055, 189.50; 9. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.059, 188.60; 10. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.067, 189.87; 11. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.088, 190.86; 12. Angie McBride, Buell, 7.109, 186.82. Not Qualified: 13. Michael Phillips, 7.113, 189.20; 14. Junior Pippin, 7.128, 186.54; 15. Steve Johnson, 7.135, 183.17; 16. Peggy Llewellyn, 7.163, 186.10; 17. Mike Berry, 7.179, 181.13; 18. David Hope, 7.184, 182.21; 19. Redell Harris, 7.441, 173.90.
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EVENT PREVIEW -FORCE RETURNS TO DALLAS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE ACCIDENT AS SERIES CONTINUES MARCH TO TITLES
John Force may have reenacted the moments before, during and after his accident last year at Texas Motorplex over and
again in his head. On Monday, he’ll do it again, this time in reverse.
Force will travel by medical helicopter from a nearby airport to the top end of Texas Motorplex, where, Ike permitting, he’ll address the same media that charted his progress post-accident last fall.
It’s not time travel and it’s not rewriting history. It’s more like a giant mental reset button that’s the next best thing to erasing, correcting and cementing what’s been done. It’s healing a spot that’s been raw for much too long.
From the starting line the Force-Kenny Bernstein accident really didn’t appear that serious. A cloud of what looked like dust and smoke formed at the top end, but even that is not unusual. Then NHRA announcer Bob Frey addressed the crowd and from his tone of voice it was clear the drivers had undergone four seconds of trauma most fans mercifully could not see.
It’s not overdramatic to say something in the NHRA POWERade Series world shifted that day. What perhaps stands out even more than the accident itself are the safety developments that have already resulted and continue to emerge from it. Force and Bernstein want it that way.
The hunger for forward progress, more than grief, self-pity or helplessness, has been a motivation.
NHRA, John Force Racing and many other NHRA POWERade Series teams are working together to make a safe sport better in ways no one would have dreamed up before. And now, on a list of iconic footage from this generation of drag racing, the images of Force from accident to walker to healed and driving again have been added.
Many of the tracks on the NHRA POWERade Series made immediate changes to their facilities to accommodate new, yet heavily evaluated ideas. Texas Motorplex is one.
“I’m excited Billy Meyer (Texas Motorplex owner) is making additional safety improvements to the Texas Motorplex,” Force said. “As a former Funny Car driver, Billy has always wanted what is best for the racers. He has always been an innovator and I think the changes he is making to his track, especially the longer sand pit, will give drivers a better chance to avoid serious injuries.”
No matter what, for Force the trip is mental as much as it is symbolic. The O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals is the second of four races in a five-week period that’s sure to test the perseverance of those drivers still in the hunt for 2008 NHRA POWERade Series world championship titles, and John Force hasn’t had the best of luck lately on the track. He has posted DNQs (did not qualify) at the last two races. Force hopes to fare better starting this weekend, where he, his daughter Ashley, his son-in-law Robert Hight and rookie Mike Neff, a favorite for this year’s Auto Club Road to the Future award, continue to be in the hunt for this year’s season title. Jack Beckman continues to sizzle in the category as he has advanced to the final round at the last four races, winning twice. Defending NHRA POWERade world champion Tony Pedregon also remains a man to beat. He won in Dallas in 2007.
Tony Schumacher has decimated the rest of the Top Fuel category after getting early-season threats from the two-car David Powers Motorsports team of Rod Fuller and Antron Brown. Schumacher earned a category record 53rd career win yesterday at zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C., moving past Joe Amato. The victory was also his seventh in a row and 12th of the season, also NHRA records. Larry Dixon won at Texas Motorplex in 2007.
Kurt Johnson raced to a runner-up finish in Charlotte to take over the POWERade Series points lead. Regular season champ Greg Anderson is looking to get back on track, as is Dave Connolly, the defending event winner, who made the playoffs despite missing the first five races of the year.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, defending NHRA POWERade Series world champion Matt Smith continues to lead the category, but don’t count out red-hot Steve Johnson who has won the last two events and moved into second in the points standings with his Charlotte win yesterday. Last year’s surprise winner in Dallas, Peggy Llewellyn, is a San Antonio native who recently rejoined the tour.
