IHRA WORLD FINALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SUNDAY FINAL - Lawson Claims First National Event Title
Dale Creasy Jr.’s replacement driver captures Nitro Funny Car title at IHRA World Finals;
Two-time
defending IHRA Nitro Funny Car world champion Dale Creasy Jr. saw his
season end due to injuries sustained in an accident at the June Rocky
Mountain Nationals in Edmonton. John Lawson, who drove the Creasy
Family Motorsports #2 car at select races last season, slid into the
top car’s seat to finish out the year. He ended the season with a
flourish, claiming the Ironman at the season-ending IHRA World Finals
in Rockingham.
Lawson tool a solo pass to the championship when Jack Wyatt, the other finalist, could not answer the call for the final round.
Earlier in the event Terry Haddock (Woodville, Wash.) clinched his
first career Nitro Funny Car world championship by knocking off his
closest competition, Matt Hagan, in the first round of eliminations.
“It
really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Haddock said of the championship. “I’ll
probably be crying like a baby later. But I’ve been doing this for a
long time and my dream has come true. It feels awesome.”
Tim Boychuk (Edmonton, Alb.) won his second consecutive Top Fuel
national event championship, knocking off Mike Strasburg in the final
round. Like Lawson, Boychuck is also a replacement driver. He stepped
in behind the wheel of the Paton Family Motorsports entry when Todd
Paton, the previous driver, surrendered the driving duties.
He defeated Bobby Lagana Jr. in the semifinals before posting a
4.853/273.05 pass in the final round to stop a tire-shaking Strasburg.
Earlier in the day rookie Spencer Massey clinched his first career Top
Fuel world championship when he knocked off Haddock in the first round.
Haddock was making his first career Top Fuel start, but Massey posted a
4.748 at 307.16 to secure the round win and the championship.
“This is unbelievable,” Massey said. “I really have to thank Mitch King
for giving me this opportunity. I didn’t even know I was going to be
driving a Top Fuel car this season until I got my license six days
before the season started, so this is really surprising.”
Defending Pro Modified world champion Scott Cannon Jr. struggled most
of the IHRA season, but he ended things in style. He was the first
alternate into the Sunday eliminations field, but parlayed that into an
Ironman when he defeated Burton Auxier in the final round. Cannon
posted sub-six second runs in three of the four elimination rounds to
claim the event championship. In the final against Auxier his 5.979 at
238.01 easily defeated auxier’s tire-shaking 10.697.
Kenny Lang watched Mike Castellana fall in the first round of
eliminations, ending any chance he had to catch Lang in the
championship points chase. It was Lang’s first career world 
championship.
Laurie Cannister (Johnstown, Ohio) put the exclamation point on her
dominant season by defeating Dr. Tom Carter to claim her eighth Alcohol
Funny Car Ironman of the season. Cannister headed to Rockingham with
the world championship already in her pocket, but she still drove past
Dale Brand and Neal Parker before knocking off Carter in the final with
a 5.856 at 242.23 mph.
John Montecalvo (Center Moriches, N.Y.) defeated Spring Nationals
champion Elijah Morton in the Pro Stock final to win the IHRA World
Finals title. Montecalvo has another score to settle. Monday he will
square off with Pete Berner, the 2008 World Champion, in the final of
the IHRA Pro Stock Showdown. The winner will collect the $50,000 first
prize while the runner-up will claim $20,000.
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - Terry Haddock Nears IHRA Nitro Funny Car Championship
Qualifies #1 at IHRA World Finals in pursuit of first career title; Spencer Massey also sits on edge of clinching championship in the Top Fuel division. Tony Bogolo (Alcohol Funny Car), Tommy D’Aprile (Pro Modified) and Frank Gugliotta (Pro Stock) also grab top-qualifier honors at Rockingham Dragway
The 2008 IHRA Nitro Funny Car world championship is basically Terry Haddock’s to lose. He will head into Sunday’s final eliminations at the IHRA World Finals in Rockingham with a 67-point lead over rookie Matt Hagan (Christiansburg, Virg.) in the battle for the world title. Haddock, who will face Hagan in the first round of eliminations, does not necessarily even have to defeat Hagan in their match-up Sunday…all he has to do is keep the track dry and hope Hagan does not win the event and set a world record in the process.
Of course, if Haddock defeats Hagan in the first round he will end the suspense as his Lend America team will close everyone else out. Haddock (Woodville, Wash.) put his 2005 Dodge Stratus on the top of the qualifying sheet on the strength of a 4.963 pass at 297.16 mph. Todd Simpson (Podner, Tex.) was second on the sheet with a 5.138 at 273.55 while Jeff Diehl (Salinas, Calif.) rounded out the top three with a 5.155/251.06.
Final eliminations will begin Sunday at 11am.
“We’re not getting too excited because we still have work to do,” Haddock said. “We haven’t won anything yet. Matt Hagan is a great driver and you can never count him out, so we’re going to turn the car over tonight and get ready for a battle tomorrow. I do have to thank Mike Ashley at Lend America for giving me the support I needed to make this charge late in the season.”
Spencer Massey (Fort Worth, Tex.) is in a similar situation. The Top Fuel rookie will head into Sunday’s elimination rounds with a 69-point lead over defending world champion Bruce Litton in the race for the title. Ironically Massey will have to square off with Haddock in the first round. Haddock, competing in his first career Top Fuel event, qualified #6 and will face Massey, the #2 qualifier.
“That’s kind of cool,’ Haddock said. “I get to play a hand in both nitro points races. In both classes I’m going to do everything I can to win. I’m here to race.”
Massey, who posted a career-best 4.644 at 309.91 mph, is looking forward to getting things going Sunday.
“This is great and I’m having a blast, but this team isn’t taking anything for granted,” he said. “This is unbelievable but I’m not going to count anything or think about the championship until its official. There are so many variables to worry about.”
All Massey has to do is win in the first round, or have Litton not win the event and set a record in the process, and the championship will be his. He was pleased he was able to post a career-best run during Saturday qualifying to put himself in the driver’s seat.
“My Crew Chief, Paul Smith, told me we were going for it tonight,” Massey said. “We’d never been that quick before. We threw the kitchen sink at it, threw everything we had at it, and it should have smoked the tires in my opinion, but we were able to rip straight down the groove. It was awesome.”
Tommy D’Aprile (Port Charlotte, Fla.) claimed the #1 qualifying spot in Pro Modified, carding a 5.971 at 236.67 mph, but the big story was the first nitrous-powered sub-six second Pro Mod pass in IHRA history by Jim Halsey (Street, Md.). Halsey put his ’68 Camaro second on the qualifying sheet with a 5.972 a 237.00 mph.
Kenny Lang and Mike Castellana will battle it out for the world championship Sunday. Lang led Castellana by 21 points heading into the World Finals and added a couple points to that advantage by qualifying three positions better. But it all will be decided during Sunday’s elimination rounds. Lang will square off with Fred Scriba in the first round while Castellana will take on Annette Summer.
Tony Bogolo (Hamilton, Ohio) claimed his first #1 qualifying position of the season with a 5.704 pass at 243.41 mph in the Alcohol Funny Car class. Bogolo will face Neal Parker in the first round. Laurie Cannister, who already clinched the Alcohol Funny Car world championship, will face Dale Brand in the first round of eliminations. Of note, seven-time world champion Mark Thomas and three-time champ Rob Atchison failed to qualify for the final eliminations field at the World Finals.
Frank Gugliotta came to Rockingham Dragway with an outside shot at nailing down the 2008 Pro Stock world championship. After setting the pace during a record-setting Saturday evening session, Gugliotta proved he belonged in the championship conversation. He shattered Brian Gahm’s world record by clocking a 6.270 at 221.38 mph, topping Gahm’s 6.281 pass set in Budds Creek during the 2007 season. Ironically, though Gugliotta set a new standard in the class he was eliminated from championship contention when Berner qualified for the field.
“This was the first time in a long time I came to this race without a legitimate shot at the championship,” Gugliotta said. “I really had no pressure on me at this race so we’re throwing everything at the track and having a lot of fun.”
Jeff Dobbins might want to buy Gugliotta a steak dinner for what he was able to do. Right before Gugliotta ran, Pete Berner set a provisional world record with a 6.278 pass at 219.86 mph. Dobbins, who trailed Berner by 25 points in the championship points chase heading into the World Finals, could ill afford to see Berner claim the 20 bonus points that comes with setting a world record.
“Oh, he owes me big-time,” Gugliotta said with a laugh. “But I’m not on one side or the other. Pete’s a great driver and a good friend, Jeff’s a great driver and a good friend. I’m not worried about any of that, I’m just running my race.”
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First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the World Finals presented by CapeFearWheels.com at Rockingham Dragway, the 11th of 10 events in the 2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.
Top Fuel -- 1. Bruce Litton, 4.583 seconds, 304.87 mph vs. 5. Tim Boychuk, 4.735, 304.60; 2. Spencer Massey, 4.644, 310.98 vs. 6. Terry Haddock, 4.773, 286.07; 3. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.688, 288.39 vs. 7. Scott Palmer, 4.854, 289.26; 4. Terry McMillen, 4.691, 310.63 vs. 8. Mike Strasburg, 4.947, 315.56.
Nitro Funny Car -- 1. Terry Haddock, Dodge Stratus, 4.963, 297.16 vs. 5. Matt Hagan, Toyota Solara, 5.193, 284.03; 2. Todd Simpson, Chevy Camaro, 5.138, 273.55 vs. 6. Jack Wyatt, Stratus, 5.358, 259.31; 3. Jeff Diehl, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.155, 251.06 vs. 7. John Lawson, Chevy Impala, 5.507, 259.66; 4. Andy Kelley, Camaro, 5.158, 291.07 vs. 8. Paul Lee, Pontiac Firebird, 5.551, 279.56.
Pro Modified -- 1. Tommy D'Aprile, Chevy Bel Air, 5.971, 236.67 vs. 9. Quain Stott, Chevy Corvette, 6.056, 232.99; 2. Jim Halsey, Chevy Camaro, 5.972, 237.00 vs. 10. Rickie Smith, Corvette, 6.110, 232.07; 3. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 5.981, 237.42 vs. 11. Chip King, Dodge Daytona, 6.146, 232.55; 4. Burton Auxier, Camaro, 6.014, 233.03 vs. 12. Tim O'Hare, Camaro, 6.216, 228.23; 5. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.017, 236.84 vs. 13. Frederick Scriba, Corvette, 6.227, 225.41; 6. Mike Janis, Pontiac Firebird, 6.017, 235.43 vs. 14. Barney Squiers, Corvette, 6.271, 224.36; 7. Pat Stoken, Camaro, 6.036, 232.99 vs. 15. Mike Moran, Chevy Monte Carlo, 6.460, 240.98; 8. Mike Castellana, Firebird, 6.050, 233.84 vs. 16. Annette Summer, Bel Air, 6.691, 212.03.
Alcohol Funny Car -- 1. Tony Bogolo, Ford Mustang, 5.704, 243.41 vs. 5. Neal Parker, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.783, 236.84; 2. Larry Dobbs, Chevy Corvette, 5.709, 247.70 vs. 6. Paul Noakes, Dodge Avenger, 5.845, 239.40; 3. Dale Brand, Chevy Camaro, 5.740, 245.67 vs. 7. Laurie Cannister, Camaro, 5.845, 238.64; 4. Thomas Carter, Monte Carlo, 5.761, 243.85 vs. 8. Jason McKnight, Monte Carlo, 5.878, 240.34.
Pro Stock -- 1. Frank Gugliotta, Ford Mustang, 6.270, 221.45 vs. 9. John Konigshofer, Mustang, 6.311, 218.44; 2. Pete Berner, Pontiac GXP, 6.278, 219.86 vs. 10. Elijah Morton, Mustang, 6.317, 218.83; 3. Dean Goforth, Pontiac GTO, 6.294, 218.48 vs. 11. Bob Bertsch, Mustang, 6.320, 219.83; 4. Robert Patrick, Mustang, 6.295, 219.12 vs. 12. Trevor Eman, Ford Escort, 6.325, 219.29; 5. Jeff Dobbins, Escort, 6.296, 220.01 vs. 13. Matt Hartford, GTO, 6.332, 219.40; 6. Brian Gahm, Mustang, 6.296, 219.33 vs. 14. Andreas Karampelas, Chevy Cavalier, 6.355, 216.38; 7. John Montecalvo, Chevy Cobalt, 6.300, 221.16 vs. 15. JR Carr, GXP, 6.356, 217.91; 8. Cary Goforth, Cobalt, 6.305, 220.30 vs. 16. Ned Katuran, Cobalt, 6.358, 214.48.
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING WASHED OUT - Clear skies and cool weather projected for action-packed Saturday schedule at Rockingham Dragway
Professional IHRA drivers have waited a month to get things started at the IHRA World Finals as four of five 2008 world championships will be settled this weekend at Rockingham Dragway. After a weather front blew into the region, bringing heavy rain with it, they will have to wait one more day.
All Friday professional qualifying sessions were washed away at the IHRA World Finals. Racing will pick up as scheduled Saturday, with the first professional qualifying session slated to commence at 2pm. The pros will get another shot at the track during the Wendy’s Night of Fire starting at 6pm, after which the pro fields will finalize.
“We tried to wait the weather out, but the radar did not look good at all so we decided not to wait around,” IHRA Media Relations Director Mike Perry said. “The rest of the weekend looks amazing with clear skies and cooler weather, so we’re looking forward to an incredible show. We’ll get the track dried and prepared overnight and are set for a great race weekend.”
Single-day paid general admission tickets will be honored for the Sunday, Oct. 19th Championship Sunday. There will be no refunds or Saturday exchanges.
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Pete Berner and John Montecalvo to lock horns in the Torco Pro Stock Showdown final round at Rockingham Dragway
When
Hurricane Hanna hit the Epping, New Hampshire area during the Amalie
Oil North American Nationals IHRA officials had to adjust the race
schedule to ensure they were able to get the race in. One of the
victims was the IHRA Pro Stock Showdown.The $100,000 Showdown, which included the top eight Mountain Motor Pro Stock drivers in the business, was scheduled to run to completion at New England Dragway. The first two rounds were completed at NED, but when rain washed away the Saturday evening Night of Fire the decision was made to move the final round to the final race on the 2008 IHRA schedule…the IHRA World Finals at Rockingham Dragway Sept. 17-19.
The delay could possibly have been the best thing that happened to Montecalvo. Berner was tearing things up in Epping, running a pair of 6.30’s passes during the Showdown, grabbing both Quarter-Max Pro Stock Challenge bonuses, qualifying on top of the qualifying sheet and ultimately winning the Ironman. It was his weekend in New England.
“The car was running well and we had tremendous power,” Berner said of his weekend at New England Dragway. “With this one-month layoff we’ll just have to see what happens but it does seem like we’re peaking at the right time.”
Montecalvo has been pretty much neck-and-neck with Berner this season performance-wise, but things changed in Epping. The one-month delay suits Montecalvo just fine.
“I think it was a blessing that the race got delayed,” he said. “Pete had some momentum. At the time I had some mixed feelings because I really thought we had a shot at winning the thing, but looking back at Pete’s performance that weekend this really was a blessing. We were equal to Pete most of the season but in New Hampshire he pulled ahead of us for some reason. I don’t know if he was really fast or if we were slow, maybe the air favored his car, I don’t know.”
When he comes to Rockingham Berner will have quite a bit on his plate. He not only will be going against Montecalvo in the final of the Showdown, he has a 25-point lead in the championship points race and will have to keep his focus on both areas.
“We
looked at it after New England, heading to this race to run in the
Showdown while also having a 25-point lead for the championship,”
Berner said. “That’s quite a large sum of money. There is a lot on the
line.”Montecalvo has a lot riding on his performance at the World Finals as well.
“We’re a dark horse for the championship, but my goal is to double up,” he said. “I want to win the Showdown and win the event, then see where things end up.”
Montecalvo is heading to Maryland International Raceway to get some test laps in. His team also rebuilt both motors for his 2006 Cobalt.
“We’re going to test to work on a few things,” he said. “I’m really anxious, I just want to get to Rockingham and get this race going. I haven’t driven the car in a month so we’re going to MIR to get back in the swing of things, to get the juices flowing again.”
Montecalvo also noticed Berner is sticking to his routine in preparation for the World Finals.
“Yeah, I read where Pete said he’s doing all the same things to get ready for this race, sticking to his routine and doing things the same way,” Montecalvo said. “He talked about how he runs five miles every day. Well, the way I look at it we only have to run a quarter of a mile, but we have to do it faster than the other guy. That’s what I’m focusing on.”
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Four of five professional world championships still up for grabs as IHRA heads to Rockingham for the World Finals
Cannister wrapped up her second career world championship, her first in an Alcohol Funny Car, when she chalked up a round win at the Amalie Oil North American Nationals at Epping Sept. 6. So the World Finals at Rockingham Dragway will be a victory lap of sorts for the Johnstown, Ohio, resident. For drivers in the four other professional classes, however, it will not be quite as laid back and relaxing.
Here is a look at the points chases and championship scenarios in the Top Fuel, Nitro Funny Car, Pro Modified, and Pro Stock classes. The following scenarios assume none of the drivers are assessed a Black Flag penalty, thus being docked 15 points.
Top Fuel
Spencer Massey (Fort Worth, Tex.) took the drag racing world by storm this season. He went from making a licensing pass on
Monday
to hoisting an Ironman above his head the following Sunday when he
captured the season-opening Amalie Oil Texas Nationals in San Antonio.
Massey proved he was for real at the next event, the Spring Nationals
in Rockingham, where he won his second career Top Fuel event in his
second start.Defending world champion Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, Ind.) has been right there with Massey all year. Terry McMillen (Elkhart, Ind.) also remains in the hunt. Massey comes to Rockingham Dragway for the World Finals with 797 points, having won four events this season. Litton sits second with 732 points while McMillen, with 666 points, also has a mathematical shot at the title.
All four are eligible for the 41-point season-ending bonus IHRA awards professional drivers who compete at each scheduled national event.
For Massey the task is simple. All he has to do is pick up 81 points and the championship will be his. There is the opportunity to earn a maximum of 146 points at an IHRA national event. To earn this many points, however, a driver has to show up (10 points), win both Friday and Saturday Last Man Standing bonuses (5 points each), qualify No.1 (16 points), win the event (90 points) and set a national E.T. record (20 points).
All Massey has to do to make sure Litton, sitting in second place, cannot catch him is move far enough ahead to where Litton, even if he took every point on the table at Rockingham, could not draw even. Massey will get 10 points for showing up, and if he qualifies on the bump spot he will earn nine more points to bring his magic number to 62. At this point even if Litton defeated him in the final round the 70 points he would earn for making it to the final would put Massey over the top.
Litton and McMillen need quite a bit of help. Should Litton run the table he would need Massey to lose before the final round. If Massey somehow out-qualifies Litton, earns one or two of the Last Man Standing bonuses, or wins a round it will force Litton to shoot for a national E.T. record to keep his hopes alive. If Massey qualified No.1 and captured one Last Man Standing, all he would have to do is win one round and the championship race would be over. With his entry points that would give him exactly the 81 points he needs.
McMillen is more of a long shot than that. All Massey has to do is qualify for the field or claim one of the Last Man Standing bonuses to close out McMillen.
Nitro Funny Car
Terry Haddock (Woodville, Wash.) is fighting to hold on to the Nitro Funny Car points lead while Matt Hagan, sitting in second
place,
has turned on the heat. His victory in the final round in Tulsa, two
weeks after failing to qualify for the field at the Northern Nationals
in Martin, put Hagan squarely back in the middle of the championship
race.The top four Nitro Funny Car drivers in the points standings are Haddock (631 points), Hagan (566 points), Andy Kelley (564 points), and Paul Lee (564 points). However, Hagan and Haddock are a little further ahead than it appears. They both remain eligible for the 41-point bonus for competing at each national event while Kelley and Lee have both missed events.
Again, there are 146 possible points on the table at IHRA national events. To clinch the world championship Haddock has some work to do. Like Massey, Haddock will have to pick up 81 points to mathematically eliminate Hagan. So if Hagan earns every point there is possible for him to earn, Haddock, assuming he qualified dead last in the eight-car field, will have to at least advance to the final round to clinch the title. If he makes it to the final, win or lose, the championship will be wrapped up.
Hagan has hope, but he will need help. If he were to qualify No.1 and win both Last Man Standing bonuses he would still need Haddock to stumble in the first round or not qualify. If Haddock did not qualify, Hagan would have to put up at least 75 points to tie Haddock at the top of the standings. If he were fortunate to qualify No.1 and win both Last Man Standing bonuses he would have to go to the semifinals. If he were able to do that he would win the championship by one point.
If Haddock were to qualify, even on the bump spot, a first-round win would eliminate Kelley and Lee from contention.
Pro Modified
Kenny Lang built a big early lead, and has spent the majority of the season watching it fade away. Lang (Grande Pointe, Mb.)
gave
himself some breathing room with a victory in Tulsa, but he has some
work to do to sew up the 2008 Pro Modified title. And he has to fight
off two of the hottest cars on the circuit in the process.Mike Castellana (Westbury, N.Y.) and Jim Halsey (Street, Md.) have taken over Pro Modified, especially during qualifying. The duo of nitrous cars has qualified 1-2 at the last three IHRA national events and both have been flirting with becoming the first nitrous Pro Mod driver to post a run in the five-second range. Castellana has been to the final round at the last three IHRA national events while Halsey has won two of the last three Ironmen.
Castellana has also won four of the last five Last Man Standing bonuses in IHRA competition. Though he has had the strongest car on the circuit during the last few months, Castellana has his work cut out for him. He trails Lang by 21 points, so he has to at lease make up one round and pick up bonus points somewhere else. If he out-qualifies Lang by two positions and picks up a round he will win the championship by one point.
Lang, however, controls his own destiny. If he can earn 126 points in Rockingham it will not matter what Castellana does.
Halsey has three national event victories this season, but missing a race could cost him in the long run. He will not get the 41-point bonus so all Lang has to do is go one round further than Halsey to close him out. He can also end Halsey’s chances by winning both Last Man Standing bonuses and out-qualifying him.
Pro Stock
Pete Berner (Crete, Ill.) has caught fire in the second half of the season. He reeled in and passed Jeff Dobbins by advancing
to
four final rounds in a row and winning two Ironmen in the process.
Since the Edmonton race his Pontiac GXP has been the dominant car on
the circuit and, looking back, some Pro Stock drivers may regret not
making the to tow to Edmonton, where plenty of possible points were
left on the table.Berner enters the World Finals in Rockingham with a 25-point lead over Dobbins. Four drivers have a mathematical shot at the title, but Berner is in the driver’s seat. If he picks up 122 points he will clinch the championship regardless of what anyone else does.
Dobbins (Wilmington, N.C.) has two national event victories this season. He can win the championship by picking up 26 points on Berner, so if he out-qualifies Berner by two spots, wins one Last Man Standing and goes one round further than Berner he will win the title. He can also win the title by grabbing both Last Man Standing bonuses and picking up one round.
John Montecalve (Center Moriches, N.Y.) has an outside shot at taking home the championship as well. He trails Berner by 101 points, so he will need to win the event, find bonus points somewhere and hope it is not Jeff Dobbins he defeats in the final.
Frank Gugliotta is a long shot. All Berner has to do to close him out is earn seven points in qualifying to end his championship hopes.
