There is something magical about the NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.  In years gone by purists bemoaned the selling of the event's title rights, but in this day and age the additional funding is helpful.  Or should we make that mandatory?

We don't care if they call it nothing more complicated than just "Indy," because every drag fan from Maine to California knows that this is the year's most important and prestigious race.  Winning this one can make a driver's career complete.  Just ask the likes of Ed "The Ace" McCulloch, or Bob Glidden, who was honored at this year's event for having won it nine times.  Or "Big Daddy" Don Garlits.  Or Shirley Muldowney.  Or John Force.  Or… Well, you get what we mean.  Winning this is big, really BIG!  So big that a few years ago Larry Dixon said in defeat, "You have no idea what this means.  I wanted that trophy!"  As far as he was concerned the runner-up purse could have been half a million bucks, and he still would have been devastated.  Winning at Indy is what every drag racer dreams about.

This year there was extra pressure on a handful of drivers because at the conclusion of eliminations the Top 10 points earners in each professional category would be locked into the Countdown to 1 championship program, so qualifying and advancing through eliminations was, well, huge.

The Pressure Was On With Spots In The Countdown To 1 At Stake

There is something magical about the NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.  In years gone by purists bemoaned the selling of the event's title rights, but in this day and age the additional funding is helpful.  Or should we make that mandatory?

We don't care if they call it nothing more complicated than just "Indy," because every drag fan from Maine to California knows that this is the year's most important and prestigious race.  Winning this one can make a driver's career complete.  Just ask the likes of Ed "The Ace" McCulloch, or Bob Glidden, who was honored at this year's event for having won it nine times.  Or "Big Daddy" Don Garlits.  Or Shirley Muldowney.  Or John Force.  Or… Well, you get what we mean.  Winning this is big, really BIG!  So big that a few years ago Larry Dixon said in defeat, "You have no idea what this means.  I wanted that trophy!"  As far as he was concerned the runner-up purse could have been half a million bucks, and he still would have been devastated.  Winning at Indy is what every drag racer dreams about.

This year there was extra pressure on a handful of drivers because at the conclusion of eliminations the Top 10 points earners in each professional category would be locked into the Countdown to 1 championship program, so qualifying and advancing through eliminations was, well, huge.

There are far too many stories to be told about Indy, and that's no exaggeration.  From the slowest doorslammer in Stock eliminator to the quickest machines in Top Fuel, there's a story to be told.  Like that of Pat Dakin, who hadn't driven a Top Fuel car in, oh, like forever, yet he came out of nowhere and made the show while the likes of touring pro Morgan Lucas didn't.  Or Matt Hagen, a virtual NHRA rookie (who has done well in a few IHRA national events) making the Funny Car field while (gasp!) John Force didn't.  Or Indy resident (and master engine builder) Steve Schmidt making one of his rare appearances in Pro Stock and making the field while championship contender Greg Stanfield ended up watching eliminations from the cheap seats.

Speaking of seats, there were some empty ones on Monday.  Far too many of them, but considering the economy our sources report that NHRA was satisfied with the turnout.

We know that not too many years ago the late Wally Parks and Board member Dick Wells were advocating shortening Indy and having eliminations take place on Sunday rather than Monday (Blasphemy!), and maybe it's time to revisit that concept.  By finishing the race a day earlier the out-of-towners would have a full day to get home and back to work – and there's a built-in rain date if needed.

 

 

---

 

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

Click to visit our sponsor's website 

 

---

 

 

Please!  We're not suggesting anything here, merely thinking out loud.  But, in a difficult economy working stiffs (that means all of us, Baby!), can't afford to be late to work on Tuesday after the holiday weekend.  Jobs are scarce, and no one wants to anger the boss, know what I mean?  Okay, then.  Like we said, we're just noodling around here.

Indy featured the kind of weather the Chamber of Commerce would have ordered up had they been asked.  The skies were crystal clear, there was a slight breeze, although we'll bet a lot of fans are heading home with some fairly serious sunburns.  It was so hot that at one point a photographer hit the dirt and had to be carted off in the trackside ambulance, but he returned a short while later.  No biggie.

Not as fortunate was Pro Mod driver Steve Engel, who was injured in a horrendous accident on Friday evening when his car hit the wall so hard that the anchoring cables were torn from the concrete barriers.  He remains hospitalized in Indianapolis with spinal chord injuries.  CompetitionPlus.com will publish updates on his condition as they become available.

Not too long ago we wrote that tuner Alan Johnson "owns" Pomona.  Well, he owns Indy, too.  He guided Tony Schumacher's U.S. Army-backed fueler to his seventh Indy title, which now ranks him right up there with the sport's legends.  There's one problem for Schumacher, though.  Johnson is leaving at the end of the season to put together his own teams, so 2009 is already shaping up as the most trying of Schumacher's still-young career.  If his father, Don, can bring in another magician and keep the string going… Wow!  That would be truly something special.

By the same token, seeing Johnson's new team win Indy next year would be no surprise.  None.  Nada.  Zip.  He is truly one of the most gifted tuners to have ever looked at a computer screen, adjusted a clutch system or played around with a fuel management curve.  The guy simply has no peers at what he does.

---

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

Click to visit our sponsor's website

---

Doug Kalitta has had a truly forgettable season in the big red Mac Tools machine owned by his uncle, Connie.  There are myriad reasons for his slide into ignominy, not the least of which was the tragedy that befell his cousin Scott at Englishtown.  He gave Schumacher a good run for the money in the finale, but the Army car just ran him over like an M1A1 Abrams squashing a Volkswagen.

It was fitting that the two hottest drivers in Funny Car met on the money run, "Fast" Jack Beckman and Robert Hight in one of the Force juggernaught of Fords.  Beckman has found new life in the championship chase thanks to the addition of Johnnie West to the list of Don Schumacher Racing tuners, while Hight (oh, don't you feel sorry for him?) must rely on Jimmy Prock.  No need to praise this second generation drag racer.  Jimmy Prock is at the top of his game, and it showed at O'Reilly Raceway Park.  The finale wasn't particularly pretty, but Hight got there first, and then suggested to ESPN finish line reporter Gary Gerould that "you should be driving a Ford like I do!"
 

---

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

Click to visit our sponsor's website

---

 

After the first round it looked like Cruz Pedregon might be on his way to one of those double-up weekends, but his car let him down in the second round when he got out of the groove, and Beckman sent him packing.

Even though he lost in the semifinal round our pick for the title is still Tim Wilkerson.  He's having one of those once-in-a-lifetime seasons, and he seems poised to win it all.  Now watch.  In two more races he'll be completely out of it.  Sorry for the jinx-inducing comments, Tim!

If the announcers said it once, they said it a thousand times:  Allen Johnson was bringing a "special" engine to Indy for his Mopar Dodge. Okay, we believed it!  Johnson dominated qualifying with Low E.T. of the Meet in a quick 6.634 seconds.  But, a funny thing happened on the way to Johnson's anointment as the Indy champion – someone forgot to tell Dave Connolly, who thrashed Johnson in the second round and then went on to win a tight one over fellow Buckeye, Larry Morgan.

A few races back announcer Bob Frey said that Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Steve Johnson was "certifiably hot."  Well, he only made it to the final round of that race, but this time around he kind of dominated.

The last brush Johnson had with Indy immortality came in 2005, when he appeared to have won the race only to have Matt Smith declared the winner.  It took two days for NHRA to decide that Johnson had indeed won the race, and they graciously held his delayed winners circle celebration at the following event.  There was no need for any replays this time around.  Andrew Hines cut a killer 0.009 light, but Johnson drove around him in 7.034 seconds for his second Indy victory.

But there's just so very much more to Indy. So much more, in fact, that we don't know where to begin, and certainly wouldn't know where to stop.  Should we discuss the departure of Alan Johnson from Don Schumacher Racing?  Already covered that.  How about Del Worsham parting company with CSK?  Already covered that, too.

The thing is that you can learn, see and experience so much at the U.S. Nationals that it becomes not slightly, but completely overwhelming.  You don't have to have a press pass, or even personally know the players to hear tidbits of news, rumor and innuendo, the kind of stuff that will blow the minds of your buddies back home.  Indy is the only race after which you can say, with some authority, "I was standing by Force's pits when I overheard him telling Coil that he wanted…"  Or you can tell the guys about how, after the third qualifying run "I heard 'em talking and I'm tellin' ya that Jason Line's guys shoved a fresh bullet in that Pontiac before Sunday morning."   Or, "I don't care what they said on TV.  I know for a fact that Antron Brown thought the groove was too narrow.  He said so, and I heard it."

They can build super-tracks until the cows come home, and offer billion dollar purses at some track in Alaska, but when it comes to the pinnacle of drag racing it's in Indianapolis at ORP, and it's name is the U.S. Nationals.  And the date is Labor Day weekend.  That's September 4-7, 2009.

We wouldn't be anywhere else! 

 

 

 

{loadposition feedback}