DON SCHUMACHER’S RESPONSE TO NHRA’S ACTION AGAINST HIM
  

Team owner Don Schumacher addressed the media at The Strip at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway following the announcement by NHRA that he was being
fined $100,000 “for possessing nitromethane fuel in (his) professional
pit clearly in violation of the fuel regulations…” He also answered a
few pointed questions on the subject. Obviously, Schumacher views the
fine in a completely different light than does the NHRA. Here, with
very minor editing, is his statement:
 
“I received notification from NHRA this morning that they have imposed
a $100,000 fine (on) Don Schumacher Racing because we possessed
nitromethane that is Pro Nitro methane at the facility on Saturday. It
was removed Saturday off site. I (was) also told at Gainesville, and
prior to Gainesville, by both (NHRA president) Tom Compton and Graham
Light that Pro Nitro is now an accepted nitromethane in NHRA.
 
“We’ll appeal the fine through the proper process, and go forward from there.

Roger Richards Photos

A. FORCE LEAVES EVENT FIRST FEMALE POINTS LEADER IN FUNNY CAR

Tim Wilkerson's victory in Vegas ended a three-and-a-half year dry spell from the winner's circle.

Tim
Wilkerson broke a three and ½ year winless streak and denied Ashley
Force her first career Funny Car win in the process at the ninth annual
SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway.

Wilkerson, a Springfield-Ill.-based auto service shop owner, drove his
Levi Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS to a 4.962 at 292.58 to a win over
Force, who turned in a 4.993 at 313.95 in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.

Despite the loss, Force leaves the event as the first woman in NHRA
history to top the Funny Car point standings as the tour moves to
Atlanta.

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following
the Ninth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las
Vegas Motor Speedway, the fifth of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series.

Sunday's final results from the Ninth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com
Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is the
fifth of 24 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Final round-by-round results from the Ninth annual NHRA
SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway,
the fifth of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Brandon Bernstein, 4.634, 323.04 def. Doug Herbert,
5.703, 165.19; Troy Buff, 4.716, 314.53 def. Rod Fuller, 5.279, 208.97;
Antron Brown, 4.684, 307.30 def. Bob Vandergriff, foul; Doug Kalitta,
4.851, 281.71 def. Larry Dixon, 5.691, 161.83; Tony Schumacher, 4.661,
312.28 def. Steven Chrisman, 5.176, 282.60; Hillary Will, 4.716, 308.21
def. David Grubnic, 4.718, 309.56; Morgan Lucas, 4.765, 310.77 def. Urs
Erbacher, 6.734, 116.48; Cory McClenathan, 4.639, 324.05 def. J.R.
Todd, 5.036, 224.73;

QUARTERFINALS -- Kalitta, 5.004,
265.33 def. Buff, 5.198, 262.79; Brown, 5.115, 200.83 def. Will, 5.850,
162.33; Bernstein, 4.921, 253.33 def. Schumacher, 5.377, 227.46;
McClenathan, 4.780, 304.25 def. Lucas, 4.815, 305.91;

SEMIFINALS -- Brown, 5.007, 260.97 def. Kalitta, 5.613, 212.63; McClenathan, 4.760, 315.12 def.
Bernstein, 5.059, 251.30;

FINAL -- McClenathan, 4.654, 315.86 def. Brown, 4.703, 315.93.

The NHRA has fined Don
Schumacher Racing $100,000 for possessing more than the allowable tolerance
within their pit area. The NHRA cited this infraction was a violation of the
fuel regulations as detailed on page 64 of the 2008 NHRA rulebook.

NASCAR superstar and Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick and his wife DeLana have
teamed with NHRA drag racing veteran Bob Vandergriff Jr. to explore the option
of fielding a Top Fuel dragster in NHRA competition. The proposed
Harvick-Vandergriff Motorsports will specialize in offering its sponsors
marketing opportunities in NHRA, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Craftsman Truck, and the
Nationwide Series.

"I think we have a unique opportunity to provide
unprecedented reach for companies looking to achieve their objectives through
motorsports," Vandergriff said. "As this deal evolves, we want to offer the
companies aligned with Harvick-Vandergriff Motorsports the chance to use the
best of NHRA and NASCAR through the same program. We'll have the capabilities to
provide something no other team can offer.

"I'm extremely excited about
this opportunity with Kevin and his wife DeLana. Our ideas of how to market our
motorsports programs and our long-term goals are the same."

Under crystal blue skies and moderate temperatures the NHRA Summitracing.com Nationals

Tony Schumacher dominated qualifying – and may do it again Sunday.

continued
today at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one of the finest
facilities on the POWERade Series trail. Despite the excellent weather
the spectator turnout was a disappointment, as there were numerous
empty seats on both sides of the track. This could be the first real
indication that a stagnant economy and near-four-dollars-per-gallon gas
prices are having an impact on the quarter mile sport.
 
With two runs today the “expected” hitters in Pro Stock finally stepped
up and made the field, leaving only those unfortunately accustomed to
DNQ status occupying the sixteenth through twenty-third positions.
Larry Morgan’s personal struggles continued, while all of his customer
cars save Vinnie Deceglie made the show. Jeg Coughlin, Jr. had to abort
his first run today after someone on the crew forgot to install the
rearend cap back in the pits, with Jeggie oiling the track on his
burnout, resulting in a lengthy clean-up. It would be far from the
first such delay of the day, and from the comments overheard from the
spectators, they were less than pleased with the quality of the show
they witnessed. Greg Anderson. Who was on the outside looking in when
the day began, finally locked up the ninth slot.

Greg Anderson is a winner in every sense of the word. He wins

This
is the shot where we tell you Greg Anderson’s hard at work studying his
computer. Uh-uh. He’s watching the Masters gold tournament on
television!

races, he wins championships, his wife is a
stunner, he has a great sponsor in Summit Racing Equipment and overall,
life seems remarkably good for the guy who was once Warren Johnson’s
lead mechanic. But that’s how we see things because we’re not inside
Greg’s head, where turmoil sometimes reigns supreme. He may appear
nonchalant, confident and at ease, but that’s just the public persona.
 
Take, for example, this little outing at The Strip. For probably 90
percent of the competitors it’s just another race they desperately want
to win, but for Anderson it’s far more. Just listen to his words about
pressure.

KORETSKY, HIGHT, SCHUMACHER TOP QUALIFIERS; JOHN FORCE’S QUEST FOR 1,000 ON HOLD WITH DNQ

Kenny Koretsky recorded the first No. 1 qualifier of his career.

Pro
Stock’s Kenny Koretsky goes into race day at the top of the field today
for the first time in 18 years of racing after earning his first career
No. 1 qualifier at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

John Force, in the hunt for the 1,000th round win that will place him
in the highest level of the history books, failed to qualify for the
Funny Car starting line-up with his second consecutive DNQ at this
event. It’s the first time in his prolific career that Force has failed
to qualify at the same event two years in a row. Instead it was his
teammate Robert Hight who had the luck, earning his 24th career No. 1
qualifier and the first of the season with a 4.849 at 321.27 in his
last attempt in his Auto Club Ford Mustang.