2009 NHRA GATORNATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
SUNDAY FINAL - TASCA, DIXON, LINE AND ARANA WIN ACDELCO NHRA GATORNATIONALS
Bob Tasca completed a dream weekend Sunday by racing to his first career victory at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals.
Larry Dixon, Jason Line and Hector Arana also were winners at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at historic Gainesville Raceway.
Tasca, who earned his first No. 1 qualifying position on Saturday, finished the job Sunday by powering his Motorcraft Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang to a final-round performance of 4.200 seconds at 280.72 mph to hold off defending Gatornationals winner Tony Pedregon, whose Q Horsepower Chevy Impala trailed with a 4.536 at 210.90.
“I’m speechless,” said Tasca, who defeated Jim Head, Tim Wilkerson and John Force to advance to the final round.
“It’s one of those weekends where you qualify No. 1 and then have to beat John Force and Tony Pedregon to get your first win,” Tasca continued. “Today is a culmination of 27 races and we've had our struggles as a team, including me as a driver. We're just determined to do well, and I can assure you that this won’t be our last trophy. We have a championship-caliber program. What a special place this is and there’s just a lot of energy here with the huge crowds. If you’ve got to pick a place to win your first race, I couldn’t think of a better place to do it.”
Points leader Ron Capps lost in the first round in his bid to win the first three races of the season, but maintained a 38-point lead over Tasca, who moved to second overall with the win.
Dixon raced to his first Top Fuel victory of the season and fourth at this event, posting a 3.898 at 311.05 in his Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing dragster to defeat Cory McClenathan, whose FRAM dragster lost traction early in the run and crossed the finish line in 4.570 at 192.60.
"It's hard to win these races, especially with a brand-new team," said Dixon, who beat Doug Kalitta, Morgan Lucas and Brandon Bernstein in earlier rounds. "They can have all the notes they want from last season but you don’t have the same parts they had last season. They don’t have the same blowers or the same clutch discs, and anyone who runs a fuel car will tell you that each of those parts has its own personality and you have to learn that personality and understand it, and they've been able to do that."
It is Dixon’s first win for new team owner Alan Johnson. Dixon’s first 43 wins came as driver for Don “The Snake” Prudhomme from 1995-’07.
"I know how hard it is to make these cars go down the track, but they make it look easy,” Dixon said. “It's an a amazing group. Alan Johnson is a genius and (crew chief) Jason McCulloch is working right underneath him, and I'm happy for him to get his first win. I'm also happy for sheik [team co-owner Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani] and to be able to get his first win the third race out. I'm honored to be driving the car."
Despite a second round upset to part-time racer Bobby Lagana, Antron Brown held on to the series lead in Top Fuel.
Line earned his second win of the season in Pro Stock by outrunning Allen Johnson in the final round. Line used a quicker reaction time to take the win, powering his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to a 6.614 at 209.20 to hold off the quicker but losing J&J Racing/Team Mopar Dodge Stratus of Johnson, which finished in 6.607 at 209.01.
"The engine guy side of me is really upset that I had to win on a holeshot," said Line, who also won the Gatornationals in 2005. "We've really struggled all weekend. We did not run good. (Top qualifier Mike) Edwards made us look bad. Hats off to him, he's driving really good. But it was a great win, and I'm very excited. For me to do this good this early in the year, it hasn't happened before so I'm excited. I've been driving pretty good, and knock on wood, it stays that way.”
In the first three rounds, Line outran Jim Yates, Kurt Johnson and Rickie Jones. He says it was a great confidence boost to get the win despite not feeling like he had the best car.
"The guys did a good job because we did not have the best car this weekend,” said Line, who extended his series lead with his 17th career win. “I was thinking to myself before the weekend started, the guy who drives the yellow car, Mr. Coughlin (Jeg Coughlin), very seldom does he win having the best car and we need to do the same thing because you're not going to have the best car every weekend and you'll have to step up some other part of it, and for me, it's the driving part. I'm doing the best I can and I thank the guys for working with me at the shop because they really do try to help me."
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Arana raced to his second career victory with a 6.977 at 191.40 on his Lucas Oil Buell, to hold off final round opponent and event top qualifier Matt Smith, whose Nitro Fish Ultimate Gear Suzuki slowed to a 7.133 at 185.51. With the win, Arana moved into the series points lead for the first time in his career. He beat Junior Pippin, defending world champ Eddie Krawiec and Shawn Gann to advance to his fourth career final round.
“It’s really great to win this event, I’ve been coming here for a long time,” said Arana, who won his first career race last June in Norwalk, Ohio after 18 seasons of trying. “I did it again. The first one wasn’t a fluke and I’m going to win some more.”
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues March 27-29 with the 22nd annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
SATURDAY QUALIFYING - DIXON, TASCA, EDWARDS AND SMITH EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT ACDELCO NHRA GATORNATIONALS
Larry Dixon raced to his second consecutive No. 1 qualifying performance of the season in Top Fuel Saturday at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals.
Bob Tasca, Mike Edwards and Matt Smith also will lead their categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the third of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. ESPN will provide three hours of television coverage of the race starting at 3 p.m. (ET) Sunday.
Dixon covered the race distance in 3.886 seconds at 308.28 mph in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster to earn the 33rd top qualifying effort of his career and second at Gainesville Raceway. Dixon, also No. 1 at Phoenix three weeks ago, will face Winternationals winner Doug Kalitta in the opening round.
In Saturday’s two sessions Dixon was able to improve on his quick time from Friday, a 3.90-second effort.
“We've been trying to run an .80 the last two or three runs,” Dixon said. “I'm glad they found it. I thought it would take an .80-something to stay on the pole and I'm just glad it came from us. Even when Pro Stock Bikes and cars are running really good, and we know the air is there it's always a matter of whether the fuel cars can grip the track. For tomorrow we're going to have to wait and see if there's cloud cover or no cover and adjust for those conditions and hope it's right. I'm not hoping for anything other than four win lights.”
Second-year driver Tasca earned his first career No. 1 qualifying position in Funny Car, powering his Motorcraft Quicklane Ford Mustang to a 4.124 at 296.76. He will face veteran Jim Head in the first round.
Tasca held on to the top spot with his time from Friday, and dodged a late run by Ashley Force Hood, who produced the day’s quickest pass and moved to second overall with a 4.126 at 301.00 in her Castrol GTX Mustang.
“It was a little nerve-wracking because you want to be No. 1,” said Tasca, who becomes 89th driver to earn a No. 1 qualifying position in the history of the category. “It's all kind of ceremonial because come tomorrow you need to run your own race. Chris (Cunningham, crew chief) told me [before his 4.16 on his last pass] that he was only trying to run a .15 because he didn’t think anyone could beat the .12 and he needed to get a handle on his tune-up for tomorrow. He was pacing back and forth but told me he was staying with the .15. We didn't come here to get sunburned; we came here to win. It's real satisfying to work as hard as we've worked and, at the end of the day, I owe so much to Chris Cunningham. He's built an amazing team for us and works tirelessly on this hot rod.”
In Pro Stock, Edwards raced to his second consecutive No. 1 qualifying position of the season and eighth of his career, with a 6.582 at 209.95 in his Penhall/Young Life Pontiac GXP. He will face V. Gaines in the first round.
“We've just been trying to race the track,” Edwards said. “We're not making any changes that we didn’t know anything about. We're just adjusting the car to the track and the tune-up to the air that we have. The car is just making phenomenal runs; it's just so smooth out there. If we can keep doing that tomorrow, hopefully we can have a good day. It's a long season, but we're sure excited about how we've started it. We've just got to keep the wheels on the car and keep being consistent at every racetrack.”
Smith earned his 15th No. 1 qualifying position in Pro Stock Motorcycle and first at Gainesville Raceway by posting a 6.945 at 189.44 on his Nitro Fish Ultimate Gear Suzuki. He will face Kawasaki rider Ryan Schnitz in the first round.
“We have a good bike and team this year, and I think you're going to see a lot of us this year," said Smith, the 2007 world champ who is riding for Don Schumacher Racing this season. [All of the makes] are close. It's just how you ride, how good the tune-up is, and who makes the best lap in the best session, and we did that yesterday.”
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday at the 40th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the third of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 3.886 seconds, 310.20 mph vs. 16. Doug Kalitta, 4.118, 293.98; 2. Spencer Massey, 3.908, 307.16 vs. 15. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.090, 263.67; 3. Cory McClenathan, 3.919, 309.63 vs. 14. Michael Gunderson, 4.082, 287.96; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 3.922, 312.64 vs. 13. Urs Erbacher, 4.043, 286.25; 5. Shawn Langdon, 3.937, 309.63 vs. 12. Terry McMillen, 4.014, 299.73; 6. Tony Schumacher, 3.943, 307.58 vs. 11. Del Cox Jr, 3.993, 304.12; 7. Antron Brown, 3.943, 305.77 vs. 10. Clay Millican, 3.978, 302.69; 8. Joe Hartley, 3.965, 307.72 vs. 9. Morgan Lucas, 3.971, 297.42. Did Not Qualify: 17. Tim Boychuk, 4.178, 273.33; 18. Chris Karamesines, 6.137, 195.85; 19. Terry Haddock, 8.228, 176.14.
Funny Car -- 1. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 4.124, 301.00 vs. 16. Jim Head, Toyota Solara, 4.233, 294.43; 2. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.126, 301.00 vs. 15. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.222, 292.90; 3. Del Worsham, Solara, 4.152, 295.08 vs. 14. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.222, 290.94; 4. John Force, Mustang, 4.153, 295.21 vs. 13. Mike Smith, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.199, 295.21; 5. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.154, 300.93 vs. 12. Jerry Toliver, Monte Carlo, 4.184, 287.66; 6. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.156, 293.15 vs. 11. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.181, 296.50; 7. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.157, 299.66 vs. 10. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.179, 299.20; 8. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.163, 302.08 vs. 9. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.178, 294.50. Did Not Qualify: 17. Bob Bode, 4.352, 286.07.
Pro Stock -- 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.582, 209.95 vs. 16. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.667, 207.05; 2. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.596, 209.59 vs. 15. Tom Martino, Stratus, 6.655, 207.18; 3. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.600, 208.97 vs. 14. Ron Krisher, Chevy Cobalt, 6.647, 207.56; 4. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.603, 208.49 vs. 13. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.646, 207.69; 5. Jason Line, GXP, 6.618, 209.14 vs. 12. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.644, 207.75; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.623, 208.36 vs. 11. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.637, 207.53; 7. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.625, 208.46 vs. 10. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.633, 208.07; 8. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.626, 207.94 vs. 9. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.627, 208.01. Did Not Qualify: 17. Dave Northrop, 6.672, 207.05; 18. Warren Johnson, 6.675, 208.68; 19. Tom Hammonds, 6.677, 207.15; 20. Jerry Haas, 6.708, 205.98; 21. Rodger Brogdon, 6.715, 206.42; 22. Bob Benza, 6.738, 205.66; 23. Erica Enders, 6.797, 201.94; 24. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.813, 202.97.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.945, 189.44 vs. 16. Ryan Schnitz, Kawasaki, 7.232, 181.98; 2. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.957, 191.40 vs. 15. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.166, 178.64; 3. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.963, 190.43 vs. 14. Redell Harris, Buell, 7.158, 180.55; 4. Angie McBride, Buell, 6.963, 189.50 vs. 13. Douglas Horne, 7.147, 184.27; 5. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.991, 188.62 vs. 12. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.069, 183.84; 6. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.005, 189.26 vs. 11. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.062, 189.23; 7. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.007, 189.71 vs. 10. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.055, 192.71; 8. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.024, 190.30 vs. 9. Wes Wells, Suzuki, 7.034, 191.65. Did Not Qualify: 17. Joe DeSantis, 7.242, 184.25; 18. Darin McCurdy, 7.307, 183.07; 19. Mike Berry, 7.338, 181.54; 20. James Surber, 7.371, 179.85; 21. John Sachs Jr, broke.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
FRIDAY QUALIFYING - DIXON, TASCA, EDWARDS AND SMITH RACE TO QUALIFYING LEAD AT 40th ANNUAL ACDELCO NHRA GATORNATIONALS
Larry Dixon led the Top Fuel pack on Friday at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals by racing to the qualifying lead for the second consecutive race.
Dixon, who had a rough start to the season after failing to qualify at the season-opener in Pomona, qualified with the quickest run on Friday, a performance of 3.902 seconds at 310.20 mph in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster.
Bob Tasca, Mike Edwards and Matt Smith also were qualifying leaders in their respective categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Event. Qualifying continues Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. for Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations.
Dixon, also the top qualifier at Phoenix, appears to be adjusting well to his new Alan Johnson-led team.
“It was real close to get that .90 on the board and at least get us qualified in the top 12,” Dixon said. “That's always important.
“I think from the first two events we went to, the air is quite a bit better here, but because of the track temperature, you have a lot less grip. I would assume that most of the teams that got down the track had to calm the car down to let it get down the track. I wouldn't think [the number will hold], I think cars should run better the more they get adapted. It seems like in years past here at Gainesville the first day is a little bit slower than the second day. I don't know why, obviously the heat and we haven't run here in a year, but the second day everything normally picks up and the team seems to adapt better to it and you have more shots to fire at it. I think you'll see 80s tomorrow. I wouldn't expect a .90 flat to hold up.”
Brandon Bernstein was second in his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster with a 3.922 at 312.64, while Cory McClenathan was third in his FRAM dragster with a 3.930 at 309.63.
Tasca raced to the Funny Car lead with a 4.124 at 296.76 in his Motorcraft Quicklane Ford Shelby Mustang. If his time holds through Saturday’s qualifying it will be his first No. 1 qualifying effort of his career.
"The weather is going to be great all weekend," Tasca said. "It really comes around with the cloud cover. It really doesn't matter what the temperature is, track temperature is what's critical. We're hoping it'll hold up but hey, we could improve. The good thing about running a 4.12 is you have the data and you can look at it. There were a lot of things in that run that we could have improved upon. It was a real safe 4.12. If the conditions come our way tomorrow, we'll try to improve it.”
John Force was second in his Castrol Edge Ford Mustang with a 4.153 at 288.52 and Force’s teammate, Mike Neff, posted a 4.154 at 300.93 in his Ford Dive One Mustang for third place.
Mike Edwards led Pro Stock in his Young Life/Penhall Pontiac GXP with a 6.582 at 209.20. Edwards is going for his second-consecutive No. 1 qualifying award.
"I'm not really used to this to be honest with you," said Edwards. "It's very rewarding to have these kind of results after the effort our team put in last season and over the winter. I'm just really appreciative of everything. Kathy and Derek Steinbach from A.R.T. are here today and what a great way to show them off here in their home state [of] Florida. They've been on our car for eight years, and I'm real tickled for them and to have them on board. We made up the whole car for them this weekend because we wanted to do something real special for all the dedication they've given us, and it turned out real nice for them.
"There will be some faster times tomorrow. I don't know if we can get any better than that tomorrow but we're going to try. It depends on the weather but I think the first session tomorrow is going to be real good."
Greg Anderson was second in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP with a 6.596 at 209.59. Allen Johnson took third with a 6.600 at 208.97 in his Team Mopar/ J&J Racing Dodge Stratus.
Matt Smith raced to the qualifying lead in Pro Stock Motorcycle’s debut race of the season on his NitroFish Wear Suzuki with a 6.945 at 189.44.
"That's a good start to the season and if we can continue like that tomorrow we'll be good," said Smith, who made just seven runs on the bike before the race during testing. "We left three- or four-hundredths on the table on that first run, so if the conditions are similar tomorrow morning, we could run a 6.90 or .91. This NitroFish Suzuki that Don Schumacher has put together is pretty awesome, so I have to thank everyone on the team for giving me a chance to do this.
"The Buell is like a tractor in that it vibrates and makes no rpm – we run like 9,000 rpm – while the Suzuki will turn 13,500 nice and smooth, so it's totally different. The clutch is different, the throttle is different, so it's a big adjustment."
Hector Arana qualified second on his Lucas Oil Buell with a 6.957 at 191.40, followed by Karen Stoffer in third on her Geico Suzuki 6.963 at 190.43.
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
Friday’s qualifying results at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. The race is the third of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Qualifying continues Saturday for Sunday’s eliminations.
Top Fuel
1. Larry Dixon, 3.902, 310.20; 2. Brandon Bernstein, 3.922, 312.64; 3. Cory McClenathan, 4.930, 309.63; 4. Shawn Langdon, 3.942, 272.01; 5. Tony Schumacher, 3.944, 304.87; 6. Antron Brown, 3.946, 302.89; 7. Spencer Massey, 3.959, 305.36; 8. Joe Hartley, 3.965, 305.36; 9. Morgan Lucas, 3.971, 295.14; 10. Del Cox, 3.993, 304.12; 11. Terry McMillen, 4.023, 267.06; 12. Urs Erbacher, 4.043, 286.25; Not qualified: 13. Tim Boychuk, 4.513, 178.00; 14. Terry Haddock, 4.533, 176.14; 15. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.571, 177.60; 16. Chris Karamesines, 4.604, 195.85; 17. Clay Millican, 5.214, 133.72; 18. Doug Kalitta, 5.888, 117.10; 19. Michael Gunderson, 6.925, 87.47.
Funny Car
1. Bob Tasca, Ford Mustang, 4.124, 296.76; 2. John Force, Mustang, 4.153, 288.52; 3. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.154, 300.93; 4. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.156, 293.15; 5. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.157, 299.66; 6. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.179, 283.91; 7. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.189, 292.01; 8. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.222, 290.94; 9. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.226, 287.17; 10. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.236, 292.90; 11. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.237, 296.50; 12. Mike Smith, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.247, 295.01; Not qualified: 13. Bob Bode, Impala, 4.286, 286.07; 14. Jerry Toliver, Monte Carlo, 4.365, 239.19; 15. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.688, 177.51; 16. Robert Hight, Mustang, 5.578, 124.68; 17. Jim Head, Solara, 7.215, 67.67.
Pro Stock
1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.852, 209.10; 2. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.596, 209.59; 3. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.600, 207.82; 4. Jason Line, GXP, 6.620, 209.14; 5. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.623, 207.50; 6. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.627, 208.01; 7. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.630, 208.14; 8. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.633, 208.07; 9. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.640, 208.01; 10. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.644, 207.75; 11. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.647, 207.56; 12. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.659, 207.69; Not qualified: 13. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.661, 206.57; 14. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.663, 207.05; 15. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.664, 206.76; 16. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.665, 208.68; 17. Tom Hammonds, Cobalt, 6.676, 206.73; 18. Dave Northrop, Stratus, 6.679, 207.05; 19. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.717, 205.88; 20. Jerry Haas, Pontiac GTO, 6.717, 205.91; 21. Tom Martino, Stratus, 6.751, 207.08; 22. Bob Benza, GXP, 6.766, 205.66; 23. Erica Enders, 6.785, 201.91; 24. John Gaydosh, GTO, 6.827, 202.97.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.945, 189.44; 2. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.957, 191.40; 3. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.963, 190.43; 4. Angie McBride, Buell, 6.963, 189.50; 5. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.991, 188.62; 6. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.005, 189.26; 7. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.007, 189.71; 8. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.024, 190.30; 9. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.034, 190.67; 10. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.063, 189.23; 11. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.079, 192.71; 12. Redell Harris, Buell, 7.159, 180.55; Not qualified: 13. Mike Berry, Buell, 7.160, 181.54; 14. Douglas Horne, Buell, 7.169, 181.35; 15. Ryan Schnitz, Kawasaki, 7.175, 181.98; 16. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.208, 160.42; 17. Darin McCurdy, Suzuki, 7.239, 183.07; 18. James Surber, Buell, 7.343, 177.42; 19. John Sachs, Suzuki, 7.522, 171.29; 20. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.619, 147.34; 21. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 12.912, 49.69.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
THURSDAY QUALIFYING - ALLEN LEADS SPORTSMEN
Supercharged racer David Allen was the quickest of the sportsman qualifiers on Thursday during the NHRA ACDelco Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Fla.
Allen, competing in the BB/AM division, thundered the quarter-mile to a 6.857 elapsed time, -.653 under the index, to beat out Glen Treadwell's D/Econo Dragster. Treadwell was -.616 with an 8.014. There are 33 entries in competition this weekend with two more sessions left.
Super Stock was the property of Jerry Caro who overtook Irvin Johns in the final session.
Caro's Mopar was -1.274 under the SS/BM standard edging Lloyd Woffored's SS/JA who leapfrogged the SS/GTB Cobalt of Johns. There are 93 Super Stockers in competition this weekend.
Stock qualifying is complete and the K/SA of Greg Rowe overtook Bobby Warren in the final session. Seventy-three Stockers will roll to the line on Friday morning for the first round of eliminations.
GATORNATIONALS SPORTSMAN NOTEBOOK
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
EVENT PREVIEW - CAPPS, BROWN SEEKING CONTINUANCE OF MOMENTUM AT GAINESVILLE
A couple of surprise leaders are out of the gate early in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
While much of the pre-season predictions about who would contend in Top
Fuel revolved around a potential season-long rivalry with Tony
Schumacher and Larry Dixon, Antron Brown’s Matco Tools dragster has
been impressive in advancing to the final round in each of the opening
two races. In Funny Car, last season’s eighth-place points finisher,
Ron Capps, who failed to win a race in ‘08, has quickly erased those
memories with back-to-back wins and a top qualifying position in his
NAPA Dodge Charger.
Capps and Brown will try to increase their respective leads in the NHRA
Full Throttle Drag Racing Series points standings at the tradition-rich
ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, March 12-15 at historic Gainesville
Raceway. The race, which will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2, is the
third of 24 in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship.
Defending race winners include Tony Schumacher, Tony Pedregon, Jeg
Coughlin and Matt Guidera.
Capps, who won the season-opener at Pomona and then raced to the No. 1
qualifying position at Phoenix before going on to his second win of the
season and 27th of his career, says his team has a new focus in ’09. He
says crew chief Ed “Ace” McCulloch is going with a strategy for the
season that is more centered on winning races instead of trying to
position for points.
“As a team, Ace and I and the NAPA guys are going to focus on winning
races this year and let the points all fall into place, rather than
look at the big picture of getting into the Countdown,” Capps said.
“We're going to attack every race like it’s a must-win situation. Our
focus this year is to roll into each race and rip their hearts out in
each run, focus on winning each race. The points will come, the
Countdown will come. Honestly, Ace had this look in his eye like, ‘get
out of my way, and [to me], ‘you’d better hang on because you're going
in the trunk of this car when it gets out there.’”
The opportunity for Capps to continue his hot streak is a good one. He
has a great record at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, winning there in
2006 and 2007. He also was runner-up there in 2000.
He is thrilled to be back in the points lead and the winner’s circle
after a 2008 season that he says wasn’t characteristic of what his NAPA
team is capable of.
“It’s a great feeling, because we were embarrassed by not winning any
races last year,” Capps said. “We flat out didn’t give NAPA what they
deserved. And they came on board when they saw what we did in 2005-2007
(11 wins) and those three years were great. This is what we should have
been doing last year.”
Others to watch in Funny Car include 2004 Gainesville winner Del
Worsham, who is now driving the new Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing Toyota
Solara and is tied with Robert Hight, driver of the Auto Club Ford
Mustang, for second in the point standings. Phoenix runner-up Mike Neff
also will be trying to earn his first career victory. Seven-time
Gainesville winner John Force also can’t be counted out.
In
Top Fuel, Brown is following up a great first-year behind the wheel of
a Top Fuel dragster where he finished fifth overall with two wins in
five final round appearances. For the first 10 years of his racing
career he competed on two wheels in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category.
His transition to Top Fuel has been seamless.
He says he is just a little surprised at how well his team is running
early on given some of the challenges they faced during the offseason.
Former team owner David Powers sold the team to Mike Ashley in
mid-January. With the new team owner came two new crew chiefs – Brian
Corradi and veteran nitro driver/tuner Mark Oswald. The group
immediately made an impact, posting great numbers during pre-season
testing. The momentum carried over to the first two races.
“This just shows how strong our team really is here at MAR (Mike Ashley
Racing),” said Brown, who posted a runner-up finish at Pomona from the
No. 1 qualifying spot and then went on to win in Phoenix. “With all the
adversity we dealt with this offseason, this is just an awesome
feeling. (Former crew chief) Lee Beard left us with a great race car
and with Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald in here, there was no doubt in
my mind that we’d do well.”
Brown is still looking for his first win at Gainesville. He posted a
runner-up finish on two wheels here in 2006 and was No. 1 qualifier
here in 2001. He feels confident that his first win at the historic
event could come this weekend.
“After testing last month, our team just really jelled,” Brown said.
“We didn't need any glue or adhesive we just stuck together. We just
need to get more laps and to be more consistent. We’ve got an awesome
race car. We were bummed to not win at Pomona because we really had the
car to beat, but you can't count anyone out in this sport. To run that
3.81 in the semis at Phoenix was awesome to show we can run with
(Larry) Dixon and Tony (Schumacher) and all the top dogs. It’s going to
be a fun year in Top Fuel, but it'll be tough to win races with so many
great teams.”
In addition to three-time Gators winners Schumacher and Dixon, others
who will challenge Brown at Gainesville include Brandon Bernstein, who
is second in the points order and won the Gatornationals in 2003, and
Doug Kalitta, who won the season-opening race at Pomona and is a
two-time winner at the Swamp. Rookies Spencer Massey and Shawn Langdon
will be making their first Gatornationals appearance in Top Fuel.
Defending
series champ Coughlin – a two time Gainesville winner – continues to be
the guy to beat in the Pro Stock category in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt.
He raced to the victory in Phoenix and moved to second overall in the
points standings, two points behind leader Jason Line, who won at
Gainesville in 2005. Others to watch in the 200 mph category include
two-time Gatornationals winner Greg Anderson and ACDelco Chevy Cobalt
driver Kurt Johnson, who won this race in 2003.
The ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals is the traditional season-opener for
the Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors. Defending world champ Eddie
Krawiec comes to Gainesville Raceway still seeking his first race
victory. He won his championship last season on his Screamin’ Eagle
Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson without earning a race win, a feat
accomplished once previously in NHRA history by Rob Bruins in Top Fuel
in 1979. However, last year Krawiec did something no NHRA driver had
previously done by winning the championship trophy before winning a
race trophy. Bruins had won a race in a season prior to his
championship season in ’79.
While Krawiec looks for his first win, several riders will be looking
to get their seasons off to fast starts, including Krawiec teammate
Andrew Hines, a three-time world champ and 2004 Gatornationals winner.
Other early-season favorites to watch include Matt Smith, who is now
racing on a Suzuki with Don Schumacher Racing, and three veteran riders
who have all previously won the Gatornationals – Karen Stoffer (2007),
Steve Johnson (2005) and Craig Treble (2002).
