2009 NHRA PHOENIX NATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SUNDAY FINAL -CAPPS, BROWN AND COUGHLIN WIN LUCAS OIL SLICK MIST NHRA NATIONALS
Ron Capps raced to his second consecutive Funny Car victory of the season Sunday at the Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.
Capps took a single pass to claim his 27th career victory after final round opponent Mike Neff’s John Force Racing Ford Mustang broke on the burnout. Capps powered his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger to an an impressive performance of 4.048 at 306.81 anyway to win for the second time at the Phoenix track.
"Neff was having one of those weekends going where they looked like they couldn't be beat," said Capps, the event’s top qualifier who raced beat Jeff Arend, rookie Matt Hagan and Del Worsham to advance to the final. "They had [crew chief] John Medlen in the hospital, and we're all glad to hear that he's OK. It was one of those stories that you almost hate to upset. The start we're having to the season is what NAPA signed up for. We were disappointed with what we gave NAPA last year. This is more like it. I'm living a dream right now."
With the win, Capps increased his Full Throttle Series lead to 97 over Robert Hight and Worsham.
Antron Brown and Jeg Coughlin also were winners in their categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Brown earned his first Top Fuel victory of the season in his second straight final round, posting a 3.846 at 310.63 in his Matco Tools dragster to hold off Brandon Bernstein, whose Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster lost traction and trailed at the finish in 5.173 at 143.54. With the victory, Brown, who raced Pro Stock Motorcycle from 1998 until 2007, moved into the Top Fuel points lead for the first time in his racing career, 42 in front of Bernstein.
Brown defeated Del Cox Jr., Morgan Lucas and Tony Schumacher before racing past Bernstein in the final.
"This just shows you how strong this team is," Brown said. "During the offseason, I looked at the guy upstairs and said, 'What is all this adversity for?' It was crazy. Then I found out that we were going to get Brian or Mark, and I had no doubt that we were going to be a good team. They took our car to another level. We were bummed in Pomona, because we had the car to beat going into the final before we had a mishap that slowed us down. The crew is getting more confident with every run. I think we're going to keep getting stronger as the year goes on."
Coughlin claimed his 42nd career victory in Pro Stock, defeating rival Kurt Johnson in the final round. Coughlin drove his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to a 6.643 at 208.01, while Johnson’s ACDelco Cobalt trailed with a 6.647 at 208.46.
Coughlin moved to second in the point standings with the win, and now trails series leader Line by two points.
"I didn't realize Kurt had such a good record against us in the final, but I didn't take him lightly because he's always tough in the money round," said Coughlin, who beat Steve Spiess, Jason Line and Ron Krisher in earlier rounds. "We didn't have the best car today by any stretch, but we just kept crawling our way through them and keeping our head up. To see that win light come on in the final round with the crowd we had today and the points and the whole bit, it feels fantastic. The chips kind of fell the way they did for us to come home with the greatest achievement, and that's a race win here. You always go into race day wanting a win, but we kind of struggled with it. It seems like in my career in Pro Stock that I've very rarely had the feeling of being up front and not wanting to screw up. We just went up each time and raced hard for it."
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues with the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, March 12-15 at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - CAPPS, DIXON AND EDWARDS TAKE NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT PHOENIX
Ron Capps raced to his first No. 1 qualifying performance in Funny Car in more than four years Saturday at the Lucas Oil Slick 
Mist NHRA Nationals.
Larry Dixon and Mike Edwards also will lead their categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Capps, who won the season-opening race two weeks ago in Pomona, Calif., powered his Napa Dodge Charger to a 4.023 second run at 305.63 mph to claim his eighth career No. 1 qualifying position and second at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix.
With Capps and Dixon taking top qualifying honors their crew chiefs – Ed and Jason McCulloch – also became the first father-son tandem to earn No. 1 qualifying honors in Top Fuel and Funny Car at the same race. Tomorrow they will try to become the first father-son crew chiefs to win the same race.
"It's cool that Ed and Jason both got No. 1s," Capps said. "It's strange to be around the two of them. They have a neat relationship, because they both have an old school, tough 
image. We made three pretty good runs. It would have been nice to lay down another 4.0, but you've got to look at the big picture of getting down the track consistently. I hope to keep going rounds. After that win in Pomona, I think everyone on this team remembers how fun it is and wants to do it again."
Mike Neff was second in his John Force Racing Ford Mustang with a 4.050 at 309.06, while John Force powered his Castrol Mustang to the third spot with a 4.069 at 306.53.
Defending event winner Dixon claimed his 32nd career No. 1 in Top Fuel, posting a performance of 3.807 at 313.95 in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster.
"I'm happy to see Jason get his first pole, and I think it's really neat that his dad got one, too," said Dixon. "It's great to be up here with a brand-new team. When you look at what [team owner] Alan Johnson has done over the past 15 years, not qualifying in Pomona with only one shot was just a small hiccup.
"I've watched this team dominate qualifying in the past when they were with [Tony] Schumacher. Being their driver, all I have to say is that they're really good. We ran a .82 in the third session when the next best run was a .87, and that's just amazing to me."
Six-time NHRA champ Tony Schumacher was second in his U.S. Army dragster with a 3.826 at 314.46. Pomona runner-up Antron Brown was third in his Matco Tools dragster, clocking a 3.830 at 313.80.
In Pro Stock, Edwards earned his seventh career No. 1 qualifying position with a track record time of 6.605 at 208.71 in his Penhall/Young Life Pontiac GXP.
“We worked long hours over the winter to make strides in our engine program," Edwards said. "We were behind all last year before we gradually got better. Our guys really stepped up. Greg [Anderson] has a top-notch team, and he set the bar so high that it's been our ultimate goal to get as close as we can to him.
“When you can run good, you feel like you have a chance,” said Edwards, who will face Johnny Gray in the first round. “We have a chance tomorrow."
Greg Anderson was second in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP with a 6.610 at 208.94, while past Phoenix winner Allen Johnson was third overall, posting a 6.621 at 208.68 in his J&J Racing/Team Mopar Dodge Stratus.
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Sunday’s eliminations pairings for the 25th annual Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway. Results based on qualifying, which ended Saturday.
TOP FUEL
Top Fuel – 1. Larry Dixon, 3.807 seconds, 315.71 mph vs. 16. Terry Haddock, 4.094, 237.80; 2. Tony Schumacher, 3.826, 315.27 vs. 15. Troy Buff, 3.974, 283.97; 3. Antron Brown, 3.830, 313.80 vs. Del Cox Jr., 3.936, 306.46; 4. Spencer Massey, 3.847, 310.27 vs. 13. Mike Strasburg, 3.922, 310.48; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 3.875, 316.38 vs. 12. Joe Hartley, 3.913, 308.07; 6. Morgan Lucas, 3.879, 306.46 vs. 11. David Baca, 3.910, 305.77; 7. Shawn Langdon, 3.888, 307.93 vs. 10. Clay Millican, 3.907, 311.13; 8. Doug Kalitta, 3.897, 307.86 vs. 9. Cory McClenathan, 3.904, 311.63. Did Not Qualify: 17. Steve Chrisman, 4.167, 280.49; 18. Steve Faria, 4.505, 222.14; 19. Rob Passey, 7.530, 81.82; 20. Arley Langlo, 15.695, 51.17.
FUNNY CAR
Funny Car – 1. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.023, 305.63 vs. 16. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.196, 301.74; 2. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang, 4.050, 309.06 vs. 15. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.165, 296.50; 3. John Force, 4.069, 306.53 vs. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.148, 297.09 4. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.072, 305.22 vs. 13. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.135, 296.05; 5. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.077, 303.71 vs. 12. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.129, 301.40 6. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.104, 295.72 vs. 11. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.125, 301.40 7. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.106, 301.94 vs. 10. Jerry Toliver, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.122, 302.08 8. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.106, 300.20 vs. 9. Jim Head, Solara, 4.116, 299.06. Did Not Qualify: 17. Bob Bode, Impala, 4.307, 285.05.
PRO STOCK
Pro Stock – 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.605, 208.71 vs. 16. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.669, 207.66; 2. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.610, 209.49 vs. 15. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.665, 208.07; 3. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.621, 208.68 vs. 14. David Beckley, Stratus, 6.663, 207.18; 4. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.624, 208.33 vs. 13. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.662, 206.89; 5. Jason Line, GXP, 6.638, 208.71 vs. 12. Tom Hammonds, Cobalt, 6.658, 207.59; 6. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.640, 208.01 vs. 11. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.654, 207.85; 7. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.643, 207.91 vs. 10. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.652, 207.72; 8. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.648, 207.34 vs. 9. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.649, 208.20. Did Not Qualify: 17. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.669, 206.89; 18. Bob Panella Jr, Stratus, 6.706, 206.16; 19. Gordie Rivera, GXP, 6.721, 204.94; 20. Jerry Haas, Pontiac GTO, 6.733, 205.69; 21. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.754, 203.31; 22. Erica Enders, Ford Mustang, 6.800, 202.12.
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - DIXON, CAPPS AND EDWARDS RACE TO QUALIFYING LEAD AT LUCAS OIL SLICK MIST NHRA NATIONALS
Larry Dixon turned his season around Friday at the Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals by racing to the qualifying lead in Top 
Fuel.
Ron Capps and Mike Edwards also were qualifying leaders in their categories at the second race of the season in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
Dixon, who failed to qualify for the NHRA season-opener two weeks ago in Pomona, Calif., rebounded with the quickest run on Friday at Firebird International Raceway, a performance o f 3.807 seconds at 313.95 mph in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster.
"It's nice to qualify," said Dixon, the defending winner of this event. "You look at the team and all the talent it has, but I never take qualifying for granted. With my personality, I don't get too up or too down. I'm thankful to have a great job driving for a great team, and I wasn't going to let one run determine our fate for the season.
"We made a nice run. The car rattled a little bit early. It cleaned up right about the time that I didn't think it was going to make it. From that point, I didn't have to steer it very much."
Antron Brown was second in his Matco Tools dragster with a 3.830 at 313.80, while Tony Schumacher was third in his U.S. Army dragster with a 3.840 at 315.27.
Capps raced to the Funny Car lead with a 4.023 at 305.63 and continued his strong start to the season in his Napa Dodge Charger.
"I haven't been [in the press room] on a Friday in a long time," said Capps, winner of the season-opening race whose last No. 1 qualifying performance came in 2005. "It's been awhile since we've had a car capable of taking the pole. It goes to show you what kind of confidence 'Ace' has in this car right now that he can take a shot at it. He usually likes to find a baseline and stick to it.
"I quote 'Ace' (crew chief Ed McCulloch) when I say that confidence breeds success. We left Pomona knowing we have a great car, and you always want to follow up a win with a good performance to show it. We're out here to win races this year. We didn't win any last year, and we're embarrassed by that. If we keep the attitude of going out to win as many races as we can for Napa, the points will fall into place."
Mike Neff was second in his John Force Racing Ford Mustang with a 4.050 at 309.06 and Dixon’s teammate, Del Worsham, posted a 4.072 at 305.22 in his Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Solara for third place.
Edwards posted a track record time of 6.605 at 208.71 in his Penhall/Young Life Pontiac GXP to lead the 16-car Pro Stock order.
“Qualifying isn’t over yet, but at least we’re leading today and that means a lot,” Edwards said. “We really needed a run like we got on the first day. The first run I made didn’t feel like a No. 1 run but the second did. There are a lot of good teams out here that are capable of stepping up tomorrow with a good number.”
Greg Anderson raced to second place with a 6.619 at 209.49 in his Summit Racing GXP, while defending world champ Jeg Coughlin was third overall with a 6.624 at 208.33 in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt.
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday.
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 25th annual Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway, second of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel – 1. Larry Dixon, 3.807 seconds , 313.95 mph; 2. Antron Brown, 3.830, 313.80; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.840, 315.27; 4. Spencer Massey, 3.847, 308.07; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 3.875, 308.07; 6. Morgan Lucas, 3.879, 306.46; 7. Shawn Langdon, 3.888, 305.63; 8. David Baca, 3.910, 305.77; 9. Joe Hartley, 3.913, 308.07; 10. Clay Millican, 3.914, 307.65; 11. Cory McClenathan, 3.918, 310.91; 12. Del Cox Jr. , 3.936, 306.46; Not qualified: 13. Doug Kalitta, 4.058, 264.70; 14. Terry Haddock, 4.119, 287.78; 15. Troy Buff, 4.137, 222.33; 16. Steve Chrisman, 4.214, 277.83; 17. Mike Strasburg, 4.555, 187.39; 18. Arley Langlo, 5.804, 119.44; 19. Steve Faria, 7.573, 78.58.
Funny Car – 1. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.023, 305.63; 2. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang, 4.050, 309.06; 3. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.072, 305.22; 4. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.077, 303.71; 5. John Force, Mustang, 4.089, 298.14; 6. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.104, 295.72; 7. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.106, 301.94; 8. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.106, 298.93; 9. Jim Head, Solara, 4.116, 296.37; 10. Jerry Toliver, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.122, 302.08; 11. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.125, 301.40; 12. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.164, 296.05. Not Qualified: 13. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.172, 291.76, 14. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.237, 297.75; 15. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.332, 272.23; 16. Ashely Force Hood, Mustang, 5.003, 183.27; 17. Bob Bode, Impala, 7.431, 101.12.
Pro Stock – 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.605, 208.71; 2. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.619 209.49; 3. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.624, 208.33; 4. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.630, 208.68; 5. Jason Line, GXP, 6.638, 208.71; 6. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.643, 207.91; 7. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.649, 208.20; 8. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.650, 208.01; 9. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.652, 207.72; 10. Tom Hammonds, Cobalt, 6.658, 207.59; 11. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.665, 207.34; 12. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.669, 207.66. Not Qualified: 13. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.680, 206.95; 14. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.680, 207.15; 15. David Beckley, Stratus, 6.681, 206.89; 16. Bob Panella Jr, Stratus, 6.698, 205.85 ; 17. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.700, 206.45; 18. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.709, 205.54; 19. Jerry Haas, GTO, 6.766, 205.10; 20. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.787, 202.36; 21. Erica Enders, Ford Mustang, 6.791, 202.48; 22. Gordie Rivera, GXP, 24.049, 33.95
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EVENT PREVIEW - NEW STRATEGY AND ATTITUDE FOR MORGAN LUCAS IN 2009 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES
Morgan Lucas thinks this could be his breakout year.
The 25-year-old drag racing phenom, who has already raced enough years to be classified as a veteran in the 300 mph NHRA Top Fuel world, has developed a certain feeling in his gut as his GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster team begins its quest to win the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship.
That feeling is confidence.
Not the over-confidence kind.
Rather, his is the confidence that comes from experience and having great trust in the team around him.
Lucas, who opened his 2009 season with a semifinal finish at the Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., is hungry for more at this weekend’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals (Feb. 20-22) at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix. The race, which will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD, is the second of 24 events in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and V. Gaines (Pro Stock) are the defending winners.
"I've never started a season with as much confidence in my car and crew as I have this year," Lucas said. "We feel like we match up well with anyone out there."
That confidence begins with his crew chief, Jimmy Walsh. Walsh’s consistent tune-up on the GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster has already produced positive results through pre-season testing and the first event in Pomona.
Now, Lucas will begin to use his consistent racecar to work toward fulfilling his goal of winning his first national event and the greater quest of claiming a world championship title. His career-best points finish came in 2005 (fifth) when he raced to three runner-up finishes. Since then he has been on a rollercoaster ride of three consecutive finishes outside the top 10. He hopes this year will be the turning point to get things back on track.
"Consistency is key in this sport, and that goes way beyond having a consistent racecar, which is obviously very important," said Lucas, who is currently tied for third in the Full Throttle point standings. "You need consistency in the way you conduct business. You need it in the crew you have around you. It's important to hire the right people and then allow them to be the best they can be. We're going to do that this year and I'm pretty sure the results are going to come. It's our time to step up."
His challenge awaits with several championship-proven contenders, such as the defending and six-time Full Throttle Series Top Fuel champ Tony Schumacher, driver of the U.S. Army dragster. Two-time champ Dixon has a new team with Al-Anabi Racing and a renewed enthusiasm. Veterans Cory McClenathan, Brandon Bernstein and Doug Kalitta, who won the season-opener, also will be solid. Antron Brown, who was runner-up in Pomona, has proven to be fast in his Matco Tools dragster. Two rookies, Spencer Massey and Shawn Langdon, Lucas’ teammate, also will provide great competition.
"We know we need to prove ourselves on the racetrack before anyone is going to look at us as serious championship contenders," Lucas said. "We understand that, and I think that's going to make the difference this year."
In Funny Car, Ron Capps has the early lead in his NAPA Dodge Charger. He raced to the win at Pomona over veteran Jim Head. Capps’ teammates Beckman and rookie Matt Hagan also are ones to watch. John Force Racing will field four Ford Mustangs in the event, including John Force, Ashley Force Hood, Robert Hight and Mike Neff. Defending world champ Cruz Pedregon and brother Tony also will be in the hunt, as will two-time Phoenix winner Del Worsham, who is now driving the Al-Anabi Racing Toyota for Alan Johnson.
In Pro Stock, Gaines will try to defend his title while new national record holder Greg Anderson (6.528 seconds) looks for his second win at the track. Kurt and Warren Johnson have won the most at Firebird among active drivers with three wins each. Allen Johnson, Jeg Coughlin and Pomona winner Jason Line all will be looking to add a victory to their resumes.
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