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

SUNDAY NOTEBOOK -

NUMERO UNO TAKES HIS FIRST - Defending Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher collected his first win of the 2009 season with a hole shot victory over team mate Cory McClenathan.

 Schumacher's .059 reaction time versus Cory Mac's .098, led to a 3.881 second, 314.75 mph win.

Schumacher dispatched Del Cox, Jr., in the first round, Morgan Lucas in the second and in a very popular win, Larry Dixon in the semi-finals.

Schumacher extended his dominance over McClenathan, 4-2, including two wins over Cory Mac at Houston. The first Houston meeting came in 2005. As team mates, Schumacher is now 3-0 over McClenathan.

What Tony Schumacher couldn’t say in Pomona, Phoenix or Gainesville, his actions spoke for him in Houston.

The defending Top Fuel world champion and 57-time winner delivered a clear message. He’d won before Alan Johnson joined his team in the early part of the decade and now he showed that he can win after the talented tuner is gone.

“When AJ announced that he was going to leave, we started wondering ‘how are we going to do this,” Schumacher said. “We even talked about going Funny Car. I knew the team that was going over there and how tough they were going to be.”

Schumacher admitted it was Johnson who convinced him to stay in Top Fuel so they could battle it out.

“It was a big decision,” Schumacher admitted. “I knew the challenge and the times we got to race one another were going to be special. When we raced today it was big. It’s not going to get old. It’s going to get big.”

Today’s semi-final match-up between the titans was amazingly the first time in four events the two had matched up in championship competition. They had paired off in testing and later in qualifying, but on Sunday in Houston the racing community got a picture of what the pre-season hype was about.

When Schumacher beat Dixon in the semis, on a hole shot nonetheless, it was a moment to remember.

As Schumacher was towed back to the pits, the race fans responded.

“The race fans were on their feet and I thought to myself, ‘Remember this moment,” Schumacher added. “I just felt honored to be a part of that and when the win-light came on, that was special.”
Equally as special for him was winning with a team that up until this season hadn’t worked together and they replaced a crew that had nearly a decade of continuous service.

Schumacher was a bit indecisive on Sunday when asked if we surprised to have won this quickly with such a young team.

“Our guys weren’t picked out of a leftover pile. They were all handpicked for a certain job. They are excellent at what they do and mistakes aren’t made. Mike and Neil both worked with AJ last year. It’s just going to take some time for them to get it all together. We ran great in testing but I’m a little different driver than [crew chief] Mike [Green] had.”

Green was transferred over the Schumacher’s team after a successful tour with Cory McClenathan.

“I like it when the car is a little loose and a little tougher to drive; that to me is a good car,” Schumacher said. “He’s starting to like that and we’re starting to find a combination that we can work with. You can win on a hole shot like that without a great team. When that win light comes on it’s a total team effort.”

FORCE HOOD SCORES HER SECOND CAREER WIN - Ashley Force Hood had fun on her final run. She wasn’t going to but looking over at Jack Beckman reminded her of a lesson he taught her when she first started driving.

“Jack taught me when I first learned to drive a race car, it was a Super Comp dragster, when I was 16,” Force Hood remembered. “It’s just amazing that ten years later he and I are still driving, Nitro Funny Cars. I always love running him because you see how much fun he’s having and I tend to get nervous. It’s a serious thing, you’re going into the final. You want to do well.

“I pull up there and he’s having fun with his guys and that reminded our team we need to have some fun; we’re in the final round at Houston. It changed my nerves for the better.”

Feeling better, Force entered the right lane knowing it was not the best. Yet, when all was send and done, she was the winner.

“Him and I went up there and had our race and fortunately we came out on top and I was surprised. That right lane, I knew a lot of people were struggling. I just wanted to get A to B; not make any mistakes. I was sure surprised when that win light came on. And then, I double checked about ten times on my radio to make sure it was actually my win light.“

While Force’s first win cam against her father, she was happy this one did not, despite having to meet him in the semi final round.

“I’m glad we didn’t have to match him in the final,” she admitted. “I am glad I was able to race him sooner than that.  You know, it’s been something our team has had to deal with - that our first win had to be against  Dad. I’ve had a lot of people, not to many, say, ‘Oh you think you’re dad gave it to you’. It’s just heartbreaking because we know, NO, my dad would never give away any round win.”

Beating Beckman in the final takes away all those questions.  Ashley Force is not just a winner, she’s a two-time winner who’s father definitely showed how happy he was. Pumping his fist high in the air, Force suddenly flung his sunglasses and his hat into the grandstands as he celebrated another Force Racing victory.

THE LAW OF AVERAGES - There are a few things a Pro Stock racer traditionally cannot get away with.

When the guy in the opposite lane pulls out the fastest run in Pro Stock racing history, you’re usually not able to pull out a two-inch margin of victory when you have only a .003 hole shot in your favor.

Traditionally, the law of averages suggests when defending world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., straps a tenth on you out of the gate, you  must accept a loss.

At the NHRA O’Reilly Springnationals, Krisher fought the law – and this time the law didn’t win.

Krisher drove his Mike Edwards-powered, Valvoline-sponsored Chevrolet Cobalt to his eight career Pro Stock victory, his first since last year in Topeka, Kan.

Krisher learned a valuable lesson. It’s not how a race begins but how it finishes that really counts.

“I started shaking and looked over and Jeggie was in worse shape than me,” Krisher explained. “I said to myself that I was going to stay in it, regardless if I end up in the grandstands, I’m going down that track.”

That’s the kind of day Krisher had. He won when he looked like he should win. He even won when he should have lost.

Credit the addition of Mike Edwards supplying horsepower as a big factor in his beating the odds. Edwards has enjoyed a tremendous season posting two No. 1 qualifying efforts and in Houston, a new world speed record.

Krisher is a pleased beneficiary of Edwards’ success.

“Mike came to me and I was considering seriously quitting,” Krisher said. “I just couldn’t cut a light with the car I had. Mike convinced me, he said, ‘We’re both getting older, you know we started Pro Stock together, how about we finish it together.”

Together they have performed incredibly, with Edward snagging the pole in Phoenix and Krisher believing he had the car to beat at that race.

“If the clutch hadn’t come apart, nobody was going to beat me,” Krisher contended. “That was pretty disappointing. We are running really well and we have four engines that run the same. We can screw some things up and still be okay.”

Nothing drove his point home better than the Houston victory.

TREBLE BEATS THE ODDS - If anyone thought Craig Treble was finished last season following his release as a rider for Don Schumacher Racing, they were wrong.

Treble, a 13-time winner on the NHRA tour and even more successful challenger of the odds, simply shook off the rejection and soldiered forward.

It doesn’t matter what he’s got underneath him, the resilient Treble will find a way to win.

“That’s ten year old pipe I was riding,” Treble said of his chassis, which was also ridden by Matt Hines to a championship.

“That thing just keeps going down the track and I can’t tell you how many races it’s won.”

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. While riding a bike that’s Pro Stock Motorcycle’s equivalent to Moses, Treble pulled off a convincing victory over newcomer Douglas Horne, using a borrowed Suzuki engine.

“My hat’s off to Michael Phillips for loaning me an engine,” Treble explained. “It’s an older motor and we have a great combination on it and we came out swinging in testing the week before Gainesville and it keeps going faster and faster. We keep tweaking it here and there.”

The old pipe showed it has plenty of swing left after laying down an impressive 6.885 elapsed time in the first round, following it up with a 6.915, 6.912 and another 6.915 in the final round. Treble also earned top speed of the meet with a 193.74 mph blast in qualifying.

“I was shocked when they told me I went a 6.88 in the first round because it felt a little flat on the other end,” Treble admitted. “We were running into the wind and that’s probably why it felt that way. The other runs, we went bracket racing and I’ve done a little bit of that as well.”

Treble was the No. 1 qualifier last weekend at the NHRA Jegs Cajun Sportsnationals in Belle Rose, La., while competing in the sportsman motorcycle category.

Racing as an independent opposite many high-financed Pro Stock Motorcycle teams can present an nearly insurmountable challenge. Treble has played close to the budget and had only planned a limited number of events in 2009. This victory bodes well for his chances of competing in more events.

Treble’s team is essentially a two-man band comprised of he and step-brother Don Banaski, whose day job is with Southwest Airlines, an association which affords free air travel to the races to assist his sibling. A former bracket racer, Banaski’s experience, was a contributing factor to the team’s consistency on race day.

Treble also received a good amount of confidence coaching via telephone from friend Ben Hatcher who kept the rider in tune with the immaculate performing bike.

“I had originally planned to cut it off after Atlanta,” Treble said of his plans. “This win puts a little money in the pocket and we might make it through St. Louis. We’re just biding our time and hopefully we can get some financial backing from some of these companies out here.”

AND, THE CROWD WENT WILD - That was the reaction when defending NHRA World Champion Tony Schumacher, in the Schumacher Racing Army dragster, defeated Larry Dixon, driving the Alan Johnson Racing Al-Anabi Top Fuel dragster, in the semi-finals of the NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, Texas.

Schumacher won the race on a hole shot.

After much hype of a possible rivalry during the off-season, Houston marked the first meeting in competition for the pair this season. The tension of the battle and the reaction of the race fans as Schumacher turned on the lights, sends a signal that anytime these two drivers line up side by side, the match-up will bring the fans to their feet.

This wasn’t just another race for Schumacher, who has had more than his share of tough luck in 2009 after winning an incredible 15 races last year with Johnson as his tuner.

“I was sitting in the car just before we ran … with my eyes closed … you just have to suck it in,” Schumacher said following his victory.

“Those are some great guys over there.

“We’ve waited for this race for a long time. People felt like this [Schumacher versus Dixon] was going to be a huge rivalry but we hadn’t run until the fourth race of the year. As much of a rivalry as it will probably be, you have to race first. It was awesome for us to get that first win.”

IT WAS THAT CLOSE – Morgan Lucas paired up against Tony Schumacher in the second round and if not for the light, the two would have had to toss a coin to see who continued on and who went home.

Both drivers posted identical times and identical speeds. The deciding factor – the tree. Schumacher posted a . 078 to Lucas' .106 to take the victory.

No one seemed to know if this is the first time in the history of the sport this feat has ever occurred. However, if anyone ever tells you they know if happened and it was at Phoenix in 1992, just nod your head okay and walk away.

SOMETHING ELSE TO BATTLE OVER – As Tony Schumacher took the win light over Del Cox, Jr., it created another battle of sorts between “The Sarge” and Larry Dixon. The first round win was thirtieth in a row for Schumacher putting him into a tie for consecutive first round wins with Dixon.

Dixon put his streak together started with Dallas in 2000 and ending after Houston in 2002. Schumacher's streak started at the second Las Vegas event in 2007.

If Schumacher can get past the first round in Las Vegas, he will become the record holder with 31 consecutive first round wins and counting.

Lonnie Gautreau  Extreme Photography

HOLD THE CELEBRATION – Urs Erbacher could almost feel victory. He was so close, the thought of pumping his fist high in the air had already entered his mind. Then it all went boom.

“I was .02 of a second better on the light and he’s one of the best,” Erbacher said of Larry Dixon. “I knew I needed to cut a good light. I had him until the eighth-mile and that’s when the booms came.

“I was already saying, 'Yay, we go to next round.’ Then comes the boom.”

The highlight reels will be spinning with Erbacher's explosion for quite some time. When the European Champion was finally able to bring his dragster to a stop a portion of the wing, the left rear wheel and the blower were gone.

For a few anxious moments, the crowd worried that Erbacher might also be hurt. It was then that he tossed his steering wheel out onto the track and slowly extricated himself from the driver's compartment.

Later Erbacher would praise chassis builder Brand Hadman.

“I think this is one of the top five cars technical wise,” Erbacher said of his Brad Hadman chassis equipped with the latest safety options. 

"Thank you to Brad Hadman because he saved my life today. We started this year with a brand Hadman car and I hope it's not damaged too bad. At least we know the safety components all work.”

With only two or three days to prepare for Las Vegas, Erbacher was anxious to get back to his pit area and further examine the damage with tuner, Wayne Dupuy.

“I hope we can save the chassis. We have a back-up car.”

“I think it was very spectacular for the ESPN and the fans. It was a really wild run.”

Wild might be an understatement.

FORCE SAY THANKS FOR WIN - The first thing John Force told his daughter Ashley Force Hood after she bested Jack Beckman in the finals of the Funny Car ranks at Houston Raceway Park was, “thanks”.

“He said thank you because it’s been a tough couple of years that this team has gone through,” explained Ashley. “We haven’t had the success that he’s had in the past.  I think it’s a big part of how competitive this funny car field is. I think to get that win for our sponsors, to show them that we’re still in it and not out of it was big. I think that’s what he was most happy about.”

Happy enough, in fact, to start the celebration without his daughter.

“Oh yeah, he’s out there celebrating right now,” said Ashley as she finished up the post race interviews. “He’s still out there partying like crazy, but I’m just happy that he didn’t fall off his bike because that normally happens. He gets so excited, but he forgets he’s on a scooter.”

Sounds like the day he forgot Ashley was in the car, left it in drive and it rolled down a small embankment.

NOT QUITTING NOW – Despite losing to Matt Hagan in the first round, Gary Densham says he still has some life left in Funny Car. Densham exited his Terry Haddock-owned flopper and announced that he will be at Las Vegas next week with his own car and team.

“Did you see me at Gainesville. I was miserable,” Densham said. “I want to thank Haddock for letting me run his car this weekend, but I will be in my own car next week. Obviously, we are still looking for help so if anyone is interested they should hesitate to contact us.”

INTERESTING MATCH-UPS – Second round eliminations brought about an rather unusual pair of match-ups. Brothers Cruz and Tony Pedregon squared off in one contest and father/daughter combination John and Ashley Force Hood in another.

Cruz red-lighted giving the win to Tony and Ashley drove to victory while her father pedaled his way down the racetrack, after the two posted almost identical reaction times, .095 to .097, daughter over father.

FEAST OR FAMINE – Four races into the season Funny Car racer Ron Capps has become the poster child for the term “feast or famine”. Two races in a row Capps has lost in the opening round after winning the first two events of 2009.

Capps clung to the point leader, 29 points ahead of Del Worsham. Bob Tasca dropped to fourth in points after also exiting in the first round.

"It was surprising," said Capps of the loss to eventual winner Ashley Force Hood, "because when it comes to race day, no matter where we qualify, Ace (crew chief Ed McCulloch) and the NAPA crew always have a solid car. And listening to the Top Fuel runs before us we knew that both lanes were getting pretty tricky.
 
"Once again we were at a track where we were fighting the conditions like the small bumps that they had out there. Cars in both lanes were having trouble.

"The NAPA Dodge was actually running pretty good, and when the tires pulled loose, I looked over at the other lane and she was in trouble. I was trying to get mine going and it wasn't straight enough to get back on the gas and hers obviously was and she got back on the gas and ran it down to the finish line. I just couldn't catch her.”

Capps confirmed the 45-minute delay in starting the first round of Funny Car eliminations due to Urs Erbacher’s massive engine explosion provided the opportunity for conditions to change just enough to require a change in the tune up. 

"With the delay in Top Fuel I saw all the crew chiefs running back to their trailers and getting back on the computers to figure out their tune-ups, because the conditions definitely changed a lot. There were a lot of crew members in a frenzy in the staging lanes changing stuff on almost every car.

"The driver gets all the credit when things are good, but you have to really tip your hats to these crew chiefs and crew members because it's conditions like these that will drive them batty."

NO NO NO NO NO – Greg Anderson posted the fastest speed ever in Pro Stock history, 211.99 mph with a 6.554 E.T., and lost to Steve Spiess' 6.594 second, 209.62 mph.

How can that be?  The answer is simple. Spiess was off the line five hundredths of a second faster, .017 to Anderson's .067. 

At the end of the day, it didn't matter. The speed record belonged to Mike Edwards, at 212.03 miles per hour.

THE 1320 FOOT LESSON - A race is never over until it’s over, which is what Jeg Coughlin Jr. learned the hard way at Houston Raceway Park.

Coughlin nailed final round opponent Ron Krisher in the ugliest of starting line reaction time battles, .025 to .116, and appeared to have a lock on his 43rd career victory. Then the mechanical gremlins struck and Krisher raced by a coasting Coughlin.

"Our heads are held high," Coughlin said. "It's pretty rare when you have a nine-hundredths of a second advantage going by the 60-foot timer and not go on to win the race but the tires wadded up early and just knocked the momentum out of it. I felt them paddling in low gear, grabbed second real quick and that didn't help, so I shoved it into third as a last resort and it just didn't respond.

"We really felt like we solved a lot of our problems today and I was fully expecting a 6.57 or 6.58 in the final. We danced all day on the edge of what we could get away with and obviously we were just a tad too aggressive there."

Coughlin moved into second in the championship points lead, just 26 points behind point leader Jason Line.

SMITH NOW THE LEADER - Wasn't there supposed to be a learning curve for Matt Smith this season?

The former Pro Stock Motorcycle rider who made a name for himself the past three seasons aboard a Buell decided in 2009 that he would take up an offer from Don Schumacher to return to Suzuki. Changing bike manufacturers typical involves a period of adjustment for the driver. 

Smith brought seven testing runs into Gainesville and qualified No. 1.

One race later in Houston, Smith has moved into the Pro Stock Motorcycle points lead after making it to the second round of eliminations, while at the same time setting a national elapsed-time record of 6.865 seconds at 193.16 mph, earning him an additional 20 points. Smith is now 22 points ahead of Hector Arana.

"Setting the national record is huge for us," said Smith. "This Nitro Fish Suzuki was awesome today. We were on another 6.86-6.87 pass that time (against Treble). It looks like we lost two cylinders. The motor is fine; it looks like an electrical problem caused it. The motor just cut off out there.

"We're happy to be the points leader, but we want to win. I know Don (Schumacher) wants to win and I want to win. We're still looking at the big picture, though. We'll be there for the championship, I think, because of the Countdown, but we just want to get a win under our belt and go on."
 

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK -

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN - It was a day of change at Houston Raceway Park as all four professional provisional qualifiers for the O’Reilly’s NHRA Springnationals were displaced under clear cool skies offering near perfect weather conditions. Had it not been for the stiff wind blowing across the track there might have been a wholesale assault on the Pro Motorcycle and Pro Stock records.

KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY - Jason Line stormed to the top of the pack in the Saturday morning session, setting a new track record with a run of 6.554 seconds, 211.49 mph. Line’s E.T. held up, however team mate Greg Anderson set a national speed record. Anderson was clocked through the traps at 211.89 mph, breaking the old mark which was held by Line.

“Somebody asked me if I was upset about him breaking my speed record,” answered Line, adding, “but, it’s better that it’s him than somebody else because I do help work on that car. It gives all of us a little pride.”

Anderson’s stellar run, in the final qualifying round, was enough to vault him into the field in the third spot, just behind Friday’s fastest driver, Kurt Johnson.

Line was unable to improve on his mark in the second round, which was not that important as even stiffer winds slowed most of the field, all except Anderson.

“The last session should have been just as fast because we thought the track would be a lot better but it really wasn’t,” Line stated. “All in all we made some really decent runs today and we have a real good car for tomorrow. The fact that Greg went up there and made a great run to get in the show was good because he wasn’t in it until then.

“All in all it was a good day for us.”

Warmer temperatures are predicted for Sunday, yet Line believes speeds and times will be slower.

“Yeah I think so,” agreed Line when asked if times would be slower on Sunday. “But I think you’ll see some good racing and it’ll actually be good conditions to race in. Hopefully we can put two Summit cars in the finals. You’re going to see some close racing tomorrow though.

WHO WENT HOME? - It’s difficult to believe that Greg Stanfield and V Gaines both failed to qualify for the finals in the Pro Stock division. Joining those two were Erica Enders in her first run at her home track, along with Dave Connolly who was making his first start of the season.

Stanfield missed the field by .006 seconds. Gaines by a more substantial .047 and Enders and Connolly never put up numbers good enough to grab a spot. Enders admitted more than once her runs at HRP were closer to test runs as the team waits on newer equipment. Connolly on the other hand appeared to have problems in all three runs within the first 100 feet, as the rear end of the car look more like a hula-skirted figure glued to a dashboard.

WHOAH HORSEY - The Pro Stock bikes are extremely susceptible to wind, as the air can literally push a bike across an entire lane and into either the center line or the wall, based on which lane the driver was running. Still, Andrew Hines drove his new 4-valves per cylinder Harley-Davidson to the number one spot with an impressive 6.889 at 192.55 mph.

“You’re just waiting for the moment when you can get weather like this because when the weather comes the times come,” said Hines. “We took advantage of it in the first session. We probably sacrificed a few hundreds when it went right and left and I had to ride it awhile but we’re ready to go set a national record.”

Hines believes that despite predictions of warmer temperatures that a drop in the winds could lead to a national record.

“(The wind) definitely hinders your performance because you’re cutting through the wind on the side,” Hines explained. “If there was no wind then the class would’ve picked up three or four hundreds probably. If there would’ve been a tailwind out here who knows what you would have seen.”

GOING HOME IS A GREAT INCENTIVE - With just 17 Funny Car entries, the battle wasn’t so much for the pole as it was to see who wouldn’t be making the early ride home. Two disappointing runs in his pocket, Cruz Pedregon pulled a rabbit out of the hat as he drove himself from 17th to first in his final qualifying attempt.

Pedregon’s 4.075 seconds, 301.00 mph rocketed him to the top of the charts over Del Worsham and Ashley Force Hood. Hood posted the fastest speed at 308.78 mph.

“We were as surprised as anyone,” admitted Pedregon. “We were really staring down the barrel.”

The goal now is to just win a round. In three races, Pedregon is 0-3 in round wins.

“Tomorrow, I know Rahn (crew chief) is not going for low et. We’re just going to try to be steady and go rounds.”

GOING LAST, KEEPS YOU FIRST - The co-tuners on the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster driven by Antron Brown watched the rest of the field run, made a few minor changes and then celebrated holding onto the top spot they had grabbed earlier in the day.

“That last run, I looked at Brian and Mark and they just wanted to get down the race track,” said Brown, describing his final qualifying run. “They wanted to get a nice mild tune up for tomorrow because you never know what tomorrow will bring. You can’t run things like low 80’s every run. We saw the Al Anabi car light it up in front of us, so we went back and made a few changes and ran an 87 which was really respectable.

“We need to run consistent tomorrow in order to win rounds. Basically that’s what we are getting set up for; so we know we have a run in the bank where we can jack it up if we need to. The good deal is we got the Matco Tools dragster down the race track every run this weekend and we did it at a decent time every run, second quickest and then number one. It was a good outing and we’re pretty geared up for tomorrow.”

Sunday will bring on the real pressure.  Earlier run times will present a new set of challenges for the Top Fuel field.

“I think with the conditions tomorrow, it’s going to be cool and we’re going to be the first ones on the race track; the only thing I’m happy about being in the upper echelon qualifying is we don’t have to be one of the first ones to go down the track. That’s definitely a good plus where we can just sit back and watch what happens.

“I think we’ll be running an hour and a half earlier than we did before. It’s going to be cooler we’re going to have more horsepower. It’s going to be another Disneyland out there for the crew chiefs. You have to be careful not to get too aggressive so you smoke the tires 200 feet down. The driver has to be on his game and hit the tree right. It’s a typical race day. I’m game for it.”

THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR GOING A TO B - On Friday afternoon, several drivers complained of a weakness in the center of the racetrack, saying the car would lose traction at a critical point in the run. By Saturday afternoon, drivers had an entirely different opinion. This time is was more then win than the surface prep causing them trouble.

Given the conditions, being able to get down the track smoothly was rewarded with fast times and fast speeds.

“The track was good,” Antron Brown said when asked about the supposed issues with rubber on the surface. “We just had a track that was real tricky, Gainesville, that we just came off of. I think the Angel Brothers, the owner of the track, did a real good job by grinding the middle of the track. It is a lot smoother. You’re always going to feel that transition but they’ve done a good job.

It was a great job but I don’t think it was the track that was bothering everybody. It was that the transition was in the exact same spot as where the wind was coming in at. It got a hold of me real good when I hit the transition with the back end of the car and the wind hit it at the same time and it pulled me to the centerline. I think it was the wind more than the rubber on the track. They did great prep work where you saw everybody going A to B.”

THE SHINGLE IS OUT - Nearly two weeks after Budweiser announced they would not return as a primary sponsor with Kenny Bernstein, or any other team in drag racing, Bernstein is making sure the word gets out that he is committed to staying in the sport.

“That’s the good thing about the announcement being early,” explained Bernstein on Saturday morning at HRP. “That’s what we fought for. Number one, we didn’t want to hurt the sport in any way that a sponsor like this was moving on. At the same time, we had to protect ourselves. We had to give ourselves some time to find something. We had to put the shingle out there and let everyone know we were available. That’s what we have done.”

BEST NETS FOURTH - Crew chief Lance Larsen tweaked the tune-up in the Hope4Sudan/Motorvation Top Fuel dragster Saturday afternoon at Houston Raceway Park, sending Clay Millican to his quickest 2009 1,000-foot time of 3.871 seconds at a fast 331.80 mph.  The effort put Millican fourth in the starting line-up for Sunday's final eliminations.

QUICK PRO MODS - Raymond Commisso took best advantage of the near-perfect weather and delivered the quickest ET ever in a legal-trim Pro Modified car during qualifying. A blast of 5.884/246.57 in his '68 Camaro Z/28 earned the Toronto-racer top qualifying honors, just ahead of his R2B2 Racing teammate Roger Burgess, the only other racer to qualify in the five-second-zone at 5.900/246.44. Neither, however, was able to back up their runs and snatch the official record of 5.905 from Tony Pontieri, as both exited during the first round of eliminations.
 
At the end of qualifying, the field of 14 cars was evenly divided - half below 6.10, the other half above. Defending event winner Joe Baker took the No. 3 spot with a 6.031/242.10 in his Chuck Ford-tuned Matco Tools Camaro, and Cleveland, Texas-based Taylor Lastor coasted to the proverbial bump at 12.016 seconds.
 
By late afternoon, the racetrack at Houston Raceway Park had heated up and gained traction, and the racers each brought their best game to the first round of eliminations. All but one pair saw a car in the five-second zone, with Rick Stivers and his Trane '06 Stratus taking low for the round in his victory over Tim Tindle and his Tindle Enterprises '67 Mustang, 5.911/236.55 to 6.000/236.38.
 
Commisso faced off against Lastor in what on paper seemed to be a lop-sided race, but excitement got the best of the Canadian and Commisso left the line early and handed the win to Lastor who limped across the line with a 6.379/177.95 and earned a bye in round two.
 
"I don't know exactly what happened, other than I just really wanted to race and I got too excited at the tree," Commisso explained. "I'm beating myself up, because I knew that I had to focus on winning the race, not setting the record, but I just lost my concentration for a split second - and that was all it took."
 
The opening-round battle between Burgess and 2006 Pro Mod world champion Jay Payne was decided by less than five inches, with Payne squeaking past Burgess for the win, 5.972 to 5.984 and a margin of victory of .0011-seconds.
 
Burgess said, "I honestly didn't know who had won when we crossed the line because we were so close. My hat's off to Jay on that one: 'Great job.' This is the kind of excitement and close racing you can always expect from Pro Mods here at NHRA, and it shows just how awesome these cars and teams really are. These cars out here are the best of the best in Pro Mod."
 
Other first-round winners include Danny Rowe who will match up in quarterfinal action against Harold Laird, and defending event champ Joe Baker and Gainesville-winner Mike Castellana who will face off when eliminations continue Sunday afternoon.

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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -

OUT WITH THE OLD AND STILL ON TOP – Cory Mac is not the superstitious type. So it doesn't matter that when he lines up Saturday morning to make his first qualifying run of the day that the paint scheme which propelled him to the provisional pole on Friday will have been replaced by a completely different scheme.

“I was thinking it was going to be more along the lines of the next race,” McClenathan said. “Then I heard it is going to be tomorrow, and then I heard the next race, it’s going back and forth. I’m excited and it’s going to be a very bright scheme and different than what I’ve got. You can still see the flames and it is going to be the FRAM Tough Guard car. I’m looking forward to it and the FRAM Tough Guard is the next step up from the FRAM oil filter. There are three in their line. I think they just wanted to showcase some of their stuff. I think everybody is going to like what we unveil tomorrow.”

“It’s going to be much brighter and different, but when I am in the car I won’t be able to tell the difference. Hopefully that won’t be superstitious to me. When something looks good and runs good, and you can only do better then I’m all for that.”

There will be a full field of Top Fuel drivers looking to knock McClenathan from the top spot, which he captured in first round qualifying with a stout 3.905 seconds, 313 mph run. Antron Brown was second, almost a hundredth of a second back with a run of 3.912 at 305.63 mph.

Those in attendance held their collective breath as the Top Fuel dragsters took to the strip. Several rain delays and a few oil downs had already produced some fairly tense moments.

When Cory Mac and Tony Schumacher lined up in opposite lanes, a real barn burner was expected. It never happened. Schumacher led to the 60 foot mark before tire shake set in and the reigning champ was forced to shut down, coasting to the line.

Anticipating great conditions for the night run, McClenathan was unsure if he was disappointed or not when it was canceled.

“You do and you don’t,” he said when asked if he wanted to run or not. “All of a sudden, that rain shower that everyone has been waiting for comes in and then it’s sunny 20 minutes later. We thought, ‘get back on our game, we had it tuned up and we had more clutch on it.’

“We were going to go for it because we were in that position. Why not?

“It’s supposed to be cooler and drier tomorrow. It won’t be as humid. We figured if we had that shot tonight that we could work on our combination. That’s the one thing we’ve been lacking and haven’t been able to work on this year. Everybody made all the right calls and I thought that we were going to get a shot at this. The weather Gods decided not to give us that chance.”

Expectations have been high for Cory Mac, but his believes those keeping a close eye haven't understood what's been going on.

“We were testing and not making full passes and everyone wasn’t sure what was going on,” McClenathan answered when asked how it’s working out with new crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler, longtime Funny Car tuners. “Todd and Phil work well together. When you go from a Funny Car to a dragster, you open up more tuning windows and learn more ways about running the clutch. They are starting to learn that out now.

“The idea of Lee Beard coming in at DSR has helped everyone as a whole. It has also given another person to enable them to shoot ideas off of. Beard has come in with some suggestions on our dragster and we have been able to utilize that. Crew chiefs can only use what they think is going to work out good for them. When it comes down to it, the guy who works with the car day in and day out, which is Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler, they are the ones who make the decisions. I firmly believe that. Lee brings a lot to the table … very smart … very organized … he’s very polished. He’s the perfect guy to have as manager here. He’s doing a great job.”

SMOOTH BABY! REAL SMOOTH! - “It was a good run for us,” Ashley Force Hood said of her 4.139 second run, 304.56 mph. “We were pleasantly surprised especially when compared to the runs other people had because of the temperatures and the track.”

There seemed to be problems everywhere; landmines if you will, just waiting to ruin a run. Force was one of the few who was able to almost magically escape any and all of the pitfalls.

“To go out there and run that run that smooth was a surprise for me,” she admitted. “Usually when you get down there near the finish line it gets a little crazy and it’s a challenge when you’re trying to get the chutes. That run was so smooth I was able to take my hand up to pull the chutes while seeing the flag clearly at 1000 feet and that just goes to show how smooth that run was. It doesn’t normally happen like that; it usually gets real shaky.”

Taking the top spot over Ron Capps, gives Force Hood a cushion she can use, especially after the second session, set for Friday night was cancelled when cool temperatures prevented track crews from being able to dry out the top end.

“I’m pretty positive that every team would have liked to have tonight’s run back because it’s another opportunity; another shot, especially with the weather being cool,” Force Hood explained. “You would have gotten some good passes.

“We’re excited to go out tomorrow because there’s a really small chance we could get bumped out of the show even if we did horrible. The other teams most likely will set up there car different than what we do. It all depends on what kind of run you had and if you are in the show. We’ve had plenty of times where we had bad runs in the beginning and we ended up getting in the show on the second day. I’m very thankful that we will have confidence on the second day because you don’t have that pressure hanging over your head.”

With the pressure off and momentum in their corner, it might be time to go for broke.

“Any time you can make a good pass like that you can build some momentum. You know what the track can handle and you are given the chance on your next run to push a little more. That is the advantage that we have,” said Force Hood. “Tomorrow the crew chiefs can go out do what they do to see what the track will take. Come Sunday we can take a step back maybe and have a good day then. We want to go four rounds on Sunday. That run today was one of the best runs, most smooth runs, I have ever made in my Castrol GTX Mustang.”

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE WEATHER – Fresh off a very promising test session at Atlanta Dragway, Kurt Johnson powered his way to the provision pole in the Pro Stock division in his ACDelco Chevy Cobalt, just besting Jason Line by .001 seconds.

Battling high humidity and a track that was weak in the center, Johnson is looking past Friday into Saturday.

“Mike Dunn came by this morning and ask, 'what are you going to do today?', Johnson said to the media. “I said, 'I'm probably going to learn how I am going to get down with these conditions if it's like this next year.'  Today's run, you might as well throw that out the window because it's probably going to be a tenth better tomorrow, when we come out here and run. The barometer is going to go up; obviously, it was in the bucket today.

“The track is a little iffy in the middle. We know the starting line is decent. It needs more rubber in the middle of the racetrack, but we are going to have to gear and take that horsepower and control it tomorrow, otherwise you'll be in a bad situation. We just have to adapt to what we have tomorrow.”

As a dousing rain swept through the garage late in the afternoon, prospects for an incredible night session heightened. Driver after driver was predicting possible record runs. Johnson, already the track record holder at 6.638 seconds, showed enough confidence to believe he might could have even gone faster. With the NHRA Safety Safari having difficulty drying the top end, the session was canceled and hopes of a record run put off for another day.

But, could it be possible on Saturday?

“It will be close,” Johnson said. “If we get rubber in the middle of the racetrack that we need. It makes it quicker. It makes it better. It puts you back in the seat. It raises that G-meter. To run that fast in one of these cars you are going to have to be pinpoint perfect. You are going to have to hit the gearing right, you're going to have to get the carburetion right, timing, you're going to have to get the motor right, get the suspension right and the car has got to be under control.”

Cool temperatures and low humidity add up to as much as 60 additional counts of horsepower, according to Johnson. More horsepower means more speed which translates into lower times.

Is Johnson worried his competition might knock him off?

“We're not worried about anyone but us,” he admitted. “We're the one that are going to make it or break it. We have to just do our job and light up that board at the finish line.”

If Johnson's time stand or he performs better than the rest of the field on Saturday it will be his 30th career No. 1 qualifying spot.  His last No. 1 qualifying effort came at the Zmax Dragway in Concord, NC, last September.

With 39 career wins, two at this track, Johnson, who finished runner-up last year, could easily be on the road to win number 40, if the weather is good and he can control all that increase in horsepower.

TOMORROW, TOMORROW, THERE’S ALWAYS TOMORROW - Eddie Krawiec wasn’t disappointed with his provisional qualifying run at the O’Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park; he just knows with forecasts of cooler temps and lower humidity 7.004 seconds is not going to be enough to stay atop the field.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to stay on top. It just means he has a higher priority.

We’re just going to go out there and focus on making a lap down the track,” Krawiec said,. “Whatever ET pops up on the board comes up. My main focus is race day.”

“On any given day there’s a ton of guys out here that can win,” Krawiec continued. “That’s why I don’t need to be set on being number one. It’s whoever is the most consistent that usually wins and they have to have a good motorcycle under them.”

Kraweic believes he has a good piece, minus a few kinks and if those get worked out quickly he can give to Vance & Hines something they have never achieved - a  Wally at Houston Raceway Park.

“Last year my Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines was amazing,” said Krawiec. “This year we’re trying to work the kinks out of it. That will be something that comes around as the year goes on but from right now you can definitely see the potential. Vance &Hines has never actually won this race through all the years of racing and this is a Wally we definitely want to walk away with.”

Krawiec believes he has seen enough potential to convince him to take a few extra steps to overcome one of the biggest obstacles for Pro Motorcycle drivers at HRP - the tree.

“There are little things you can do to the motorcycle,” started Krawiec when asked about battling the tree. “Houston has always been a track we have struggled at; I believe last year we had about 9 or 10 red lights - and the year before there was like 11. This is a track we took some very different preparations for.”

BACK TO THE PITS YOU GO - After a long day of weather-related delays, the first two rounds of qualifying were cancelled in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas.
 
The last downpour ended around 5:30 p.m. and track drying commenced, but the shut-down area was too saturated for a complete drying, and NHRA Officials erred on the side of safety as the dew point continued to increase as the track temperature decreased, eventually cancelling all remaining qualifying around  8:15 p.m.
 
Pro Mod racers are scheduled to have one qualifying run around 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning and then contest the first round of eliminations at 4:30 p.m. All schedules are subject to change due to track conditions and weather. Weather reports forecast mostly sunny skies with gusty winds and a high of 64 degrees.

HERE’S CONNOLLY - Dave Connolly is back, but not all the way.
The Bradenton, Fla., native is driving the Nitro Fish Dodge Stratus Pro Stocker owned by Kenny Koretsky at this week’s O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas.

Connolly’s first run of the 2009 season was a less than stellar 6.750 second, 205.19 mph effort which left him 18th, two spots shy of making the finals.

Still, for Connolly it was a good feeling to be back behind the wheel of a Pro Stock race car.

“It felt awesome,” said Connolly when ask how it felt just to sit in the car. “I haven’t been in one of these things much less dropped the clutch in one of these in three months. Getting back in there I knew Eddie Guarnaccia was already a great crew chief; I just needed to drive the car. It went a to b the first time in the car so it really felt good. I just wanted to get in there and knock the rust off but it looks like today’s just a test day because the weather is looking good for tomorrow. It was good to get back in it. I had a blast.”

Unfortunately for now it’s a one race deal, but Connolly believes he and car owner Victor Cagnazzi will be back in action very soon. If he didn’t feel that way, he doesn’t think he would driving this weekend.

So when will he return on a permanent basis?

“I wish I knew right now,” Connolly said. “I can say that we have more irons in the fire than we ever have as far as Cagnazzi Racing and I go. We’re working hard at it this is just hard times. We’re going to keep working hard at it.”

Connolly missed the first five races of the 2008 season, but was still able to challenge for the title. Getting this opportunity to knock the winter rust off is one way to make sure he’ll be ready for the challenge once funding is found. Even if this opportunity is in a Pontiac, instead of a Chevy Cobalt.

“Obviously I’m a Chevy guy and I can’t wait to get back in a Chevy Cobalt again. In the meantime Danny [Northrop] let me drive the car because he had some family obligations. We’re all like family out here and there are no hard feelings.”

The only people who could possibly have hard feelings would be any driver Connolly beats on Sunday, provided he can post a good enough run in the scheduled third and fourth rounds of qualifying on Saturday.

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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - 

REFLECTIONS OF ROUNDY-ROUND WEEKEND - Ron Capps reflected on his stint in the Scotts Saturday Night Special charity event at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend and came to the conclusion that he had been duped by the big NASCAR stars.

Thinking he was going to enjoy a fun frolic on the half-mile banked oval during a charity event driving similarly-prepared Late Models among a group of racing and media celebrities, Capps soon realized, to no surprise, that every lap, every inch of a race in which celebrities and/or NASCAR legends compete is a cut-throat affair. Give them an invitation to drive for fun and they’ll head to the wind tunnel.

Capps competed in a 15-lap heat intended to set the starting grid for the 35-lap feature in which retired NASCAR legends such as Cale Yarborough, Larry Pearson, Rusty Wallace, Junior Johnson, L. D. Ottinger, among others, including Capps' event partner, two-time Nationwide champion Jack Ingram, would race for the "big" Bristol Trophy.

The California native was driving a Late Model selected from the pit area of the local UARA event which was to compete that night following the charity race. The car was chosen based on color (to match the blue in Capps' sponsor NAPA AUTO PARTS’ logo) and size of driver (Capps is 5'8"). Joey Bryant and his car fit the bill and Capps was set for an exciting run to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Little did he know that, although the celebrities would set the feature grid based on their results in the heats, the legends would be racing all-out, specially-tuned race cars prepared especially for this event. NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham and truck series racer Brad Dougherty took it one step further and drove state-of-the-art, wind-tunnel-tested Late Models in the celebrity heat against Capps.

With only two laps under his belt after delays because of practice crashes by his fellow NHRA racers Greg Anderson and Doug Herbert, Capps was to start second in single file. Moments later, on the grid, Evernham sped by to take the point while other positions shuffled, relegating Capps to the back of the four-car pack.

"I was supposed to start outside pole,” said Capps, “and we rolled up there and Evernham pulls in front of everybody and that's where they let him start. And I ended up starting last. Well, Evernham ended up crashing the car, so I moved into third place.

"When the green flag dropped I stayed on the outside of Dougherty for about half a lap and when those guys got into high gear they checked out. They obviously had much better engines than I had. Joey told me they would. After a lap and a half I couldn't catch them. They were gone. So I did the best I could and pushed the car as hard as I could.

"Sure it's for charity, and it's for fun, but you should have seen the faces on some of these guys," added Capps with a smile. "I learned that Rusty Wallace actually took his car to the wind tunnel and spent all week testing and that Evernham's car came from Wallace.

"I always look forward to running these events for charity, and much like Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream I've run every year, in the first couple of years cars were assigned to us and were supposed to be pretty identical. After a couple of years of that, guys were off building their own cars and testing on off weekends. I guess that's just the nature of any competitor. Everybody wants to win.

"I was doing a NAPA appearance so I had little practice in the car. The goal was to make money for charity, but, I tell you, every time you put the helmet on you want to win. But one thing that is important to me, and it's my primary goal, is to bring these cars back to their owners in one piece. And we did that, and Joey got to race it again that night.

"Bristol is so incredible. The banking is so steep that the G forces are trying to throw you out of the bottom of the car. I think I know now what it was like to be a gladiator in the Roman days because you're in the stadium with 92,000 people screaming and yelling. And you could actually hear the crowd over the sound of the engine.

"Joey said he did pretty good in his race later that night in the same car, which I happily did not wreck for him. But his exhaust got knocked loose and after the race they had to take him in the ambulance to the emergency room because he had carbon monoxide poisoning. He was OK, thankfully.

"I can't wait to do this again. Gotta go reserve some wind tunnel time.”

REMEMBERING SCOTT -Jeff Arend and the DHL/Kalitta Motorsports team have a little extra motivation to visit the winner’s circle this weekend.

In 1989, the late Scott Kalitta, drag racing legend and son of team owner Connie Kalitta, won the only Funny Car “Wally” (trophy) in the 50-year history of Kalitta Motorsports at the Houston event. Team Kalitta has over 50 Top Fuel class trophies on its mantle, but only one for a Funny Car victory.

Arend joined Kalitta Motorsports last year to assume the driving duties of the DHL entry after the tragic death of Scott as the result of injuries he suffered in a high-speed racing accident in June in New Jersey.

“Getting a win in Houston this weekend would be very special to us and everyone that loves NHRA drag racing and Kalitta Motorsports,” Arend, a 46-year old resident of San Dimas, Calif., said. “Twenty years ago Scott took the Kalitta Flying Services Funny Car all the way to a win at HRP. It would mean so much to this team to be able to repeat that fete 20 years later for him. We’ll all have a little extra spring in our steps this weekend to try to make that happen.”

Arend and the DHL crew will also be part of a special event at the DHL Global Forwarding facility in Houston, Thursday, March 26. The DHL Funny Car will be on display to help celebrate the opening of the new and enormous facilities which house the DHL Global Forwarding group, as well as the DHL Industrial Projects group.

NOT US - Who would have thunk it?

A freshman Top Fuel driver enters Houston Raceway Park hoping to qualify and run well. Instead, he exits as the event champion and continues forward to finish in the top ten in his rookie nitro season.

That was the life of Antron Brown as he departed the 2008 NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Baytown, Tex.

He’s got an even better story behind him this year entering this weekend’s event.

Brown enters the fourth event on the 24-race NHRA Full Throttle Drag Series, not only as the defending event winner but also as the championship points leader, a ranking he earned after winning the NHRA Lucas Slick Mist Nationals in Phoenix, Az.

"I'm excited to go back to Houston, the site of our first career Top Fuel win,” Brown said. “That was an awesome day last year and we'll never forget our first Top Fuel win. We want to keep that "Wally" trophy in-house for our team here and MAR and I know we have a great shot. Our Matco car is running really well and Brian (Corradi) and Mark (Oswald) are doing a great job tuning this dragster."

The former Funny Car tuners Corradi and Oswald have clearly put Brown in favorable positions to win this year. Case in point, Brown has qualified in the top half of the 16-car field at all three previous races this season and has an average qualifying position of 3.7. He also has an elimination mark of 8-2 in 10 rounds of racing.

"Hopefully the conditions will allow us to run quick at Houston,” Corradi added. “We learned some things at Gainesville running in the hot weather that we can apply to help us have a more consistent race car and we hope that will help us get to another final round at Houston."

In 11 tries at the ultra-quick Houston track, Brown has one win (2008) in two final-round appearances dating back to his days as a front runner Pro Stock Motorcycle racer. He posted a runner-up finish to Karen Stoffer in the PSM final in 2004, as well as earning the pole at the 2001 Houston race.

Brown is the only driver in NHRA history to hold the points lead and win races in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle (3 TF/16 PSM).

THE QUEEN OF THE SPEED? - The Carolina Speed is getting in the fast lane of National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock Motorcycle racing this year.

The Charlotte-based Arena Football team will be an associate sponsor on Angie McBride’s Nitro Fish Pro Stock Buell for her Full Throttle Drag Series events, the team announced.

McBride, a King, N.C. resident, will be competing in select NHRA races.  She is a rising star in the sport and looking forward to having the Speed football team on her side

“Eddie Littlefield, owner of the Carolina Speed, has been very supportive of my quest for a championship and I want to do all I can to bring a national championship to his Arena Football team in Charlotte,” McBride said.  

She is riding the same Buell that Matt Smith – her fiancé and teammate – rode to four victories and seven No. 1 qualifying positions last year.  He won the 2007 championship. She has already put up a 6.950-second run and a top speed of 189.50 mph in the quarter mile this season. 
        
McBride will be signing autographs and her Nitro Fish Caroline Speed Buell will be on display from 6 to 7 p.m. before the Speed game on Saturday, April 4, at the Bojangles Coliseum.

“Arena football is fast, furious and fun,” said McBride.  “Not as much fun as running 190 mph in a quarter mile maybe, but very close.”

HOUSTON COULD PROVIDE RESTART - The mood of a drag racer can change drastically in the six seconds it takes to get down the quarter-mile in a 1,350 horsepower hot rod. Back-to-back and reigning Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. already has experienced an extreme high this year with a big victory in Phoenix, but he also has been frustrated, as he was after a second-round exit at the last stop in Gainesville, Fla.

But you don't become one of the best straight-line racers in the world and amass five world titles and 55 national event wins by overreacting to the little bumps in the road. Instead, you maintain the course and carry on, which is exactly what the 38-year-old Coughlin and his JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt teammates have done as the NHRA tour heads to Houston.

"I look at Houston with a lot of excitement," Coughlin said. "We had a sub-par outing in Gainesville but after going back to the shop and looking at all the data we've realized all of our problems were self inflicted. We were just too aggressive with the tune-up so we've corrected the errors and we're ready to get after it again at Houston Raceway Park.

"It's funny because after you win a race you're always real anxious to get back in the car and race again because you feel like you have the hot hand. At the same time, at least for me, getting back in the car after a not-so-great weekend seems even more important. It's like you want to put it behind you and the best way to do that is move forward."

HRP is the perfect place for Coughlin to recover. He's a three-time winner at the venerable southeast Texas facility, located just a stone's throw from Galveston Bay, having won there in 1997, '98, and 2000.

"The first race I ever won as a professional was in Houston so it'll always be a very special place for me," Coughlin said. "The Angel family really understands what it takes to have a first-class facility. You always like racing at a racer's track and this is certainly one of them. I know Seth (Angel, HRP's general manager) has put a lot of effort into upgrades over the last 18 months and the track should be primo.

"We're chomping at the bit to put Gainesville behind us and now we've got two events in a row so we can really get into race mode and focus on what we need to do."

Coughlin is currently third with 223 points. He is just five points behind Allen Johnson and trails leader Jason Line by 62 points.

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