NHRA MID SOUTH NATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SUNDAY FINAL - SCHUMACHER, WILKERSON KEEP THEIR POINTS LEADS WITH WINS; EDWARDS, TREBLE MOVE CLOSER TO CHAMPIONSHIP IN MEMPHIS
Top
Fuel pilot Tony Schumacher and Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson
strengthened their points leads as many Countdown contenders fell early
Sunday at the O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil.
Pro
Stock’s Mike Edwards and Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Craig Treble joined
Schumacher and Wilkerson in the winner’s circle with three races
remaining in the Countdown to 1 playoffs.
Schumacher drove his
U.S. Army dragster past Countdown competitors Rod Fuller, Doug Kalitta,
Hillary Will and Doug Herbert en route to his 13th win of the season
and second since the playoffs began. Schumacher’s final-round pass of
3.880 seconds at 309.91 mph was strong enough to get past Herbert and
build his points lead to 166 on second-place Cory McClenathan.
“I
walked into this race 97 (points ahead) and I said I wanted to leave
150 ahead,” Schumacher said. “I wanted to leave here knowing that with
each race, with three left, they’re going to have to pull 50 points on
me just to catch up.”
McClenathan,
Schumacher’s Don Schumacher Racing teammate, moved past David Powers
Motorsports driver Antron Brown into the second-place spot after Brown
lost to Countdown driver Larry Dixon in the first round. Herbert’s
runner-up finish also moved him up one spot from eighth to seventh in
the point standings.
Wilkerson also faced some of the most
difficult competition on the circuit en route to his sixth win of the
year. He won a first-round match-up with Melanie Troxel before facing
three of four John Force Racing entries that are all still alive in the
playoffs, starting with John Force himself. Wilkerson then defeated
Robert Hight in the semifinals and took down No. 1 qualifier Ashley
Force in the finals to maintain his points lead. Wilkerson is now 4-1
against the younger Force in head-to-head meetings this year.
Wilkerson drove his Levi Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS to a 4.166 run at 298.47.
“We
were lucky enough to get by the three Force cars and that was a
tremendous opportunity for us to build on our points,” Wilkerson said.
“When Tony and Cruz (Pedregon) went down and Robert (Hight), we had to
beat him, he’s right behind me in the points so it was a pretty
spectacular weekend for the whole team.”
Ashley
Force’s runner-up finish moved her up in the point standings from sixth
to fifth, while JFR teammate and father John Force jumped from eighth
to seventh in the point standings.
Edwards strengthened his spot
in the Pro Stock point standings with his second win of the season. He
drove his Young Life/Penhall Pontiac GXP to a 6.702 at 207.27 past
Countdown driver and runner-up finisher Jason Line. The win also shot
Edwards from ninth to fifth in the point standings.
“It seems
like ever since this Countdown started, crazy things are going on in
Pro Stock,” Edwards said. “You’ve got a lot of people that are better
than our team but they’re having a lot of problems like everybody else.
Every race we’ve done a little bit better. We’ve got three races to go
and if I can pick up another win that would be awesome for our team.”
Points
leader Jeg Coughlin stayed in the top spot following a second-round
loss to Allen Johnson after his Jegs.com Chevy Cobalt broke on the line
and nudged his precarious lead over second place Kurt Johnson to 32
points.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Craig Treble rode his
Albrecht’s Fast Track Suzuki to a 6.985 at 188.57. It was Treble’s
first win of the season in three final-round appearances and his first
since joining Don Schumacher Racing.
“I’ll tell you what, Steve
Tartaglia, all the guys over there work so hard,” Treble said. “Man,
it’s just a privilege to be part of it. And (DSR teammate) Chip Ellis,
what an awesome rider he is. We’re trying to work together. I’m not as
good a rider as he is. I’m probably a better racer on Sunday and if we
can combine our efforts I think we can be some pretty tough guys out
here.”
Runner-up finisher Eddie Krawiec kept his second-place
spot in the point standings and moved to within 42 points of leader
Matt Smith, who lost in the semifinals.
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Sunday's final results from the 21st annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park. The race is the 21st of 24 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - ELLIS TAKES TOP SPOT ON HOT SATURDAY; BERNSTEIN, A. FORCE, JOHNSON REMAIN NO.1 AT MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK
Pro
Stock Motorcycle rider Chip Ellis rode to his second consecutive No. 1
qualifier in Memphis on a day when it seemed all Friday night times
would rule.
Brandon Bernstein, Ashley Force and Allen Johnson kept their No. 1
qualifying positions in their categories following strong runs Friday
night at the 21st annual O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by
Pennzoil, the third of six events in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs.
Ellis rode his Schumacher Electric Suzuki to a blistering 6.910 seconds
at 191.10 mph during Saturday’s late-morning session. It’s Ellis’ first
No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 13th of his career.
“I was pretty surprised, as was everyone else,” Ellis said. “Usually
the smooth runs don’t always feel fast. That’s probably the best lap
I’ve made all year as far as doing everything exactly right. We didn’t
leave anything on the table with that run.”
Bernstein’s
Friday night run of 3.825 at 313.88 in his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster
stayed the quickest run in Top Fuel. It’s Bernstein’s second No. 1
qualifier of the season and 13th of his career.
“We’ve performed this weekend so far and tomorrow we just need to go
some rounds,” Bernstein said. “We had a great car in Dallas last
weekend and really felt like coming into this week that if we kept
running in the low 80’s and 90’s that we could have a really consistent
race car for the conditions they have here at Memphis.”
Funny Car didn’t see much change either as Force’s 4.079-second pass at
298.87 mph in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang stayed strong through
Saturday. It’s Force’s third No. 1 qualifier of the season and of her
career.
“In
qualifying you’re just trying to run as best as you can. At the end of
the day is when you finally stop and realize how the ladder pairs up
and sometimes that can be everything,” Force said. “There’s some big
match-ups tomorrow that may change this whole championship path. (Jack)
Beckman and Tony (Pedregon), what are the chances that the two guys who
are running for the championship that are both doing great happen to be
pared up first round? Someone’s got to win. I think we’re going to
start seeing that as it gets closer to the end of the season.”
Johnson’s Friday night run held as the quickest time in the Pro Stock
category. His run in the Team Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus of a
6.591 at 208.52 was a new track E.T. record. It’s Johnson’s third No. 1
qualifier of the season and sixth of his career.
“Every point we can get right here is great, we just need to take it
and do something with it tomorrow,” Johnson said. “You know it’d be
huge (to win a championship) for Mopar, for my family, for my dad,
everybody, our whole crew. That’s what we started this thing doing 12
years ago, to get one. We’re close enough now, if we can just get a
break and I can do my job, I think we can tighten it up a little bit
tomorrow.”
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First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the
21st annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil at
Memphis Motorsports Park, the 21st of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which
ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Brandon Bernstein, 3.825 seconds, 313.88 mph vs. 16. Pat Dakin, 4.069, 294.05; 2. Hillary Will, 3.826, 
313.66
vs. 15. Morgan Lucas, 4.001, 298.93; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.838, 311.20
vs. 14. T.J. Zizzo, 3.972, 300.66; 4. David Grubnic, 3.848, 311.13 vs.
13. J.R. Todd, 3.968, 305.70; 5. Doug Herbert, 3.853, 311.49 vs. 12.
Clay Millican, 3.911, 307.58; 6. Tony Schumacher, 3.859, 310.84 vs.
11. Rod Fuller, 3.909, 300.53; 7. Bob Vandergriff, 3.861, 312.13 vs.
10. Cory McClenathan, 3.873, 310.13; 8. Larry Dixon, 3.865, 308.50 vs.
9. Antron Brown, 3.871, 310.05.
Funny Car -- 1. Ashley Force, Ford Mustang, 4.079, 298.87
vs. 16. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.197, 292.01; 2. Jerry Toliver, Dodge
Charger, 4.093, 301.40 vs. 15. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.194,
288.89; 3. John Force, Mustang, 4.105, 300.26 vs. 14. Tommy Johnson
Jr., Charger, 4.167, 296.50; 4. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.113, 297.42 vs.
13. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.162, 295.79; 5. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.113,
291.89 vs. 12. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.158, 292.77; 6. Melanie
Troxel, Charger, 4.117, 302.28 vs. 11. Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.154,
300.40; 7. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.122, 291.82 vs. 10. Ron Capps,
Charger, 4.146, 291.76; 8. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.131, 295.08 vs. 9.
Gary Densham, Impala, 4.138, 292.90.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Matt Hagan, 4.205, 287.47; 18. Jim Head, 4.225, 287.05; 19. Del Worsham, 4.232, 291.19; 20. Tony Bartone, 4.248, 286.74.
Pro Stock -- 1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.591, 208.52 vs.
16. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.673, 206.67; 2. Dave Connolly, Chevy
Cobalt, 6.599, 208.65 vs. 15. Greg Stanfield, Pontiac GXP, 6.655,
207.05; 3. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.610, 208.88 vs. 14. V. Gaines,
Stratus, 6.653, 207.02; 4. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.610, 208.68 vs. 13.
Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.646, 206.73; 5. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.618,
207.69 vs. 12. Jason Line, GXP, 6.642, 207.72; 6. Larry Morgan,
Stratus, 6.625, 206.92 vs. 11. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.633, 207.21; 7. Mike
Edwards, GXP, 6.629, 207.78 vs. 10. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.632,
207.18; 8. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.629, 207.46 vs. 9. Jeg Coughlin,
Cobalt, 6.631, 207.59.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Ron Krisher, 6.674, 207.02; 18. Richie
Stevens, 6.691, 206.76; 19. Mark Hogan, 6.995, 197.51; 20. John Nobile,
17.297, 54.86.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 6.910, 191.10
vs. 16. GT Tonglet, 7.089, 185.97; 2. Chris Rivas, Buell, 6.970,
187.50 vs. 15. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.083, 184.25; 3. Matt Smith,
Buell, 6.987, 187.91 vs. 14. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.071, 186.72; 4.
Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.992, 189.66 vs. 13. Joe DeSantis,
Suzuki, 7.071, 187.26; 5. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.996, 188.28 vs. 12.
Angie McBride, Buell, 7.061, 184.02; 6. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.000,
188.38 vs. 11. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 7.024, 185.61; 7. Eddie Krawiec,
Harley-Davidson, 7.002, 190.19 vs. 10. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.024,
188.25; 8. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.014, 188.12 vs. 9. Michael Phillips,
Suzuki, 7.015, 192.47.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Matt Guidera, 7.143, 184.12; 18. David Hope, 7.162, 184.32; 19. Redell Harris, 7.264, 178.00; 20. Shawn Gann, broke.
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - BERNSTEIN, A. FORCE, JOHNSON AND RIVAS PROVISIONAL NO. 1 QUALIFIERS IN MEMPHIS
Four
playoff contenders lead the packs after what some crew chiefs called
the best weather conditions Memphis qualifying sessions have ever
yielded.
Ashley Force, Brandon Bernstein, Allen Johnson and Chris Rivas were the
provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 21st annual O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South
Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park, the third
of six events in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs.
Force drove her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to a strong 4.079-second pass
at 298.87 mph to take the top spot in Funny Car. It would be Force’s
third No. 1 qualifier of the season and of her career.
“I was surprised when I saw the numbers,” Force said. “It felt like I
was just driving all over the place. Some runs that are real good runs
just go nice and smooth and they don’t feel that fast, so I was very
pleasantly surprised with that number.”
In
Top Fuel, Bernstein drove his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to a
3.825-second pass at 313.88 mph to take the provisional top spot. It
would be Bernstein’s second No. 1 qualifier of the season and 13th of
his career.
“The track was great tonight,” Bernstein said. “You could tell that Tim
(Richards, crew chief) was anxious to get up here and see what this
track could hold, especially with the conditions the way they were
tonight.”
Johnson ran the quickest time in the Pro Stock category, driving his
Team Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus to a 6.591 at 208.52. It would
be Johnson’s third No. 1 qualifier of the season and sixth of his
career.
“We came up here on keel for this run,” Johnson said. “When conditions
get like this, we really perform well. We just went for the throat with
this run.”
Rivas had the fastest run on a motorcycle, riding his G-Squared/Drag
Specialties Buell to a 6.979 at 187.31. It would be Rivas’ third No. 1
qualifier of the season and of his career.
“We’re still leaving some stuff on the table, as are all the teams,”
Rivas said. “I think the tune-up on the bike means more than me doing
anything different. At this point, I just feel like I don’t have to do
anything different. It’s a good tune-up.”
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at 11:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Sunday’s eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for
the 21st annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil at
Memphis Motorsports Park, 21st of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final
eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Brandon Bernstein, 3.825 seconds, 313.88 mph; 2.
Hillary Will, 3.826, 313.66; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.838, 311.20; 4. David
Grubnic, 3.848, 311.13; 5. Doug Herbert, 3.853, 311.49; 6. Tony
Schumacher, 3.859, 305.29; 7. Bob Vandergriff, 3.861, 312.13; 8. Larry
Dixon, 3.865, 308.50; 9. Antron Brown, 3.871, 310.05; 10. Cory
McClenathan, 3.873, 310.13; 11. Rod Fuller, 3.909, 292.96; 12. Clay
Millican, 3.911, 307.58. Not Qualified: 13. Morgan Lucas, 3.924,
298.93; 14. J.R. Todd, 3.949, 305.70; 15. T.J. Zizzo, 3.978, 300.66;
16. Pat Dakin, broke.
Funny Car -- 1. Ashley Force, Ford Mustang, 4.079, 298.87; 2.
Jerry Toliver, Dodge Charger, 4.093, 301.40; 3. John Force, Mustang,
4.105, 300.26; 4. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.113, 297.42; 5. Jack Beckman,
Charger, 4.113, 291.89; 6. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.117, 302.28; 7.
Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.122, 291.82; 8. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.134,
293.73; 9. Gary Densham, Chevy Impala, 4.138, 291.45; 10. Tim
Wilkerson, Impala, 4.154, 300.40; 11. Jeff Arend, Toyota Solara, 4.162,
295.79; 12. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.167, 296.50. Not Qualified:
13. Bob Tasca III, 4.174, 292.01; 14. Tony Pedregon, 4.203, 286.13; 15.
Ron Capps, 4.211, 286.62; 16. Cruz Pedregon, 4.214, 286.19; 17. Del
Worsham, 4.238, 286.25; 18. Tony Bartone, 4.261, 278.58; 19. Matt
Hagan, 4.362, 272.34; 20. Jim Head, 6.317, 101.62.
Pro Stock -- 1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.591,
208.52; 2. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.599, 208.65; 3. Warren
Johnson, Pontiac GXP, 6.610, 208.88; 4. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.610,
208.68; 5. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.618, 207.69; 6. Larry Morgan,
Stratus, 6.625, 206.92; 7. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.629, 207.78; 8. Jeg
Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.631, 207.59; 9. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.632,
207.18; 10. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.633, 207.21; 11. Justin Humphreys, GXP,
6.639, 207.46; 12. Jason Line, GXP, 6.642, 207.72. Not Qualified: 13.
Greg Stanfield, 6.644, 207.05; 14. V. Gaines, 6.647, 206.48; 15. Steve
Spiess, 6.654, 206.73; 16. Richie Stevens, 6.658, 206.76; 17. Ron
Krisher, 6.659, 207.02; 18. Rickie Jones, 6.669, 206.67; 19. Mark
Hogan, 7.255, 183.24; 20. John Nobile, 14.897, 54.86.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Chris Rivas, Buell, 6.979,
187.31; 2. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 6.982, 186.98; 3. Matt Smith, Buell,
6.987, 187.91; 4. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.002, 190.19; 5.
Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.005, 189.47; 6. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki,
7.019, 188.38; 7. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.029, 188.25; 8. Craig Treble,
Suzuki, 7.042, 187.03; 9. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.050, 191.19; 10.
Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.055, 186.85; 11. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.057,
187.83; 12. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.071, 187.26. Not Qualified: 13.
Angelle Sampey, 7.081, 185.61; 14. GT Tonglet, 7.092, 184.35; 15. Mike
Berry, 7.103, 186.72; 16. Junior Pippin, 7.133, 183.42; 17. Matt
Guidera, 7.147, 183.22; 18. Angie McBride, 7.160, 182.16; 19. David
Hope, 7.180, 184.32; 20. Redell Harris, 7.322, 176.49.
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EVENT PREVIEW -HUMPHREYS, JOHNSON ALLIANCE PAYS IMMEDIATE DIVIDENDS AS 2008 POWERade SERIES GRINDS TOWARD CONCLUSION
To some, Justin Humphreys may seem like an accidental giant killer.
In Charlotte two weeks ago, Humphreys earned his first NHRA
POWERade Series win in just his second year of driving in the Pro Stock
category. And he outlasted none other than Jim Yates, Jeg Coughlin and
Kurt Johnson to do it after facing rookie Rob Mansfield in round one.
The final round itself was unexpectedly anticlimactic. Johnson’s
ACDelco Chevy Cobalt broke on the starting line, giving an automatic
win light to Humphreys. It obviously wasn’t the way he wanted to win,
he said. But he did go three rounds to do it – and after the Wally was
his, Humphreys’ focus naturally gravitated to the round before the
final, where he defeated the ‘natural,’ and current series points
leader, Jeg Coughlin, by .013.
It seems Humphreys always had the right parts and the right connections
to succeed on the big stage. For him, it may have been more a matter of
getting all of those things at the same time – devising just the right
equation from a mound of variables that could, finally, equal a win.
Humphreys is focused on securing a second victory as the NHRA POWERade
Series comes to Memphis Motorsports Park for the 21st annual O’Reilly
NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil, Sept. 25-28. The race,
which will be telecast on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD, is the 21st of 24 races
in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, and the third of six races in
the Countdown to 1 playoffs.
From
the start, Humphreys had a solid lead on a potentially successful
career here. In the beginning, an early alliance with Pro Stock veteran
Bob Glidden, as well as driving lessons and a lasting working
relationship with drag racing instructor Roy Hill, got Humphreys
started on his transition from the now-defunct Sport Compact Series,
where won a world championship. The last piece was a quiet alliance he
formed with Warren Johnson and his son Kurt – of all people – at the
Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
The new relationship wasn’t entirely hush-hush. News of Humphreys’
switch back from a Dodge to Pontiac was announced, as was the
partnership itself. There were no press conferences or media stunts.
Those who missed the press release probably didn’t know that the
unlikeliest of the unlikely to share secrets, Warren Johnson, had
brought the young driver into his circle.
In fact, Humphreys estimates he spent 80 percent of his time during the
three weeks leading up to his win at the Johnson’s shop in Atlanta.
“When we started running Pro Stock, we had no idea what we were getting
ourselves into,” Humphreys said. “But to have the opportunity to work
with Bob Glidden and Warren and Kurt with this deal – they’ve been
pretty open with us over here. It’s a good team. It’s definitely
unexpected. We figured we’d come down here and everything would be top
secret. But they’ve helped us out a lot. They’ve shared everything with
us. It’s been like a dream come true. It’s something we never expected
would happen, but now that it’s happened we’re hoping to move forward
and come out next year and be a strong contender.”
The relationship with the elder Johnson, one of only two drivers on
record to start more than 500 races (the other is Funny Car’s John
Force), was discussed first in the Spring, with a possible 2009 start
in mind.
Instead, they opted for an early start and for three rounds in
Charlotte the house of cards fell the right way for both Humphreys and
his new teammate, Kurt Johnson, who left Charlotte with the points
lead. Humphreys faced a KB/Summit Racing car first; the triplet of the
world championship two-car team of Greg Anderson and Jason Line.
Johnson drew Vinnie Deceglie, Anderson, and V Gaines before losing to
his new teammate in the final round. They’ll have four more races to
gather data before the 2008 NHRA POWERade Series ends.
Another Pro Stock driver fighting Kurt Johnson for this season’s world
championship title, Dave Connolly, is the defending event winner in
Memphis. Melanie Troxel, who won the 2007 event in a Top Fuel dragster
and has since switched to Funny Car, Gary Scelzi (Funny Car), and
Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won in Memphis in 2007. All
could do it again.
