EVENT RESULTS EVENT NOTEBOOK POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS SPORTSMAN RESULTS

EVENT GALLERY

 

SUNDAY RANDOM NOTES

CRAMPTON REIGNS IN TOP FUEL’S 3.6-SECOND SPECTACLE - Richie Crampton didn’t have the distinction of clocking the first 3.6-second elapsed time in Top Fuel history.

But he won the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals from the No. 1 qualifying position Sunday with a 3.695-second pass (at 325.30 mph) in the final round at Minnesota’s Brainerd International Raceway that was third-quickest in class history.

The Lucas Oil Dragster driver joined the 3.6-second club in defeating Brittany Force to earn his fourth victory of the season and sixth overall. Moreover, Crampton won the race his team owners sponsor, received the Wally trophy from Charlotte Lucas, and moved into third place in the standings – all in front of parents Alan and June Crampton visiting from Adelaide, Australia.

“Winning the Lucas Oil Nationals when you drive the Lucas Oil Dragster, that’s exactly what you want to do. I wanted to do that so badly for Forrest and Charlotte [Lucas]. There’s nothing cooler than getting that Wally from Charlotte at the end of the racetrack,” Crampton said.

He added, “It’s amazing that (my dad) was here for my first win and even more amazing that we got lucky again and he's here to see me win and take some winner's circle pictures. When your family lives on the other side of the world and you're over here pursuing your own dreams, it's pretty special to have your parents, who are some of your best friends, with you in the winner's circle like this."

Then, with a giddy laugh, he said of his 3.69-second milestone, “That’s definitely the icing on the cake. I kind of keep forgetting that I actually ran a .69. Winning the event is most important, but we’ve been trying to run a .60 for so long. I think Aaron [crew chief Brooks] deserves to be the guy who tunes a race car to the first 3.60. It wasn’t to be. Hat’s off to all those guys that did earlier today. This race is going to go down in the history books. It was amazing racing today and super-fast race cars.”

Don Schumacher Racing’s Antron Brown posted the first-ever 3.6-second run (3.680 at 331.12 mph) in the first round, dismissing Seattle winner JR Todd’s stellar 3.703, 330.88 for Kalitta Motorsports. So the tuning honors go to Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald, crew chiefs for Brown’s Matco Tools Dragster.

Shawn Langdon used his quarterfinal race against Steve Torrence to top Brown’s achievement with a 3.662-second E.T. – the quickest in drag-racing history.  

“That 3.66 was incredible. With how everybody was running, we felt we could throw a lot at the track.  We threw it out there, and it made a great run” Langdon said, referring to team owner Alan Johnson and crew chief Brian Husen. “The Knuckle Sandwich Toyota Dragster dropped three cylinders and still ran 3.66, so there was definitely more in there. We tried to do the same in the semifinals, but unfortunately, it didn’t hold.  It shook and then went into tire smoke, but it was still a very good day.”

Brown responded with another 3.96 (3.966) as he knocked off Tony Schumacher in the pairing immediately after Langdon and Torrence.

But Brown and Langdon faded before the final, and the spotlight fell again on Crampton, who said the rain-cooled environment had him charged up.

“When the weather’s like this, it’s really exciting for me, because Aaron Brooks and my team can run some really good numbers. We were trying to swing for the fence a little bit in the first two rounds. We had a little trouble, but he had some luck, too,” he said.

Crampton beat boss and teammate Morgan Lucas in the first round with a pedal job to clinch a spot in the Countdown to the Championship. He had to pedal his car against Larry Dixon in Round 2, as well.
 
“It was a great day for Lucas Oil and Toyota,” Crampton said.
 
“We’re right where we need to be for Indy,” he said, alluding to the upcoming U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, where the championship-eligible fields are set for the six-race playoff.
 
Crampton had cooled off since winning earlier this year at Las Vegas, Topeka, and Bristol with a failure to qualify, a first-round loss, and a Western Swing full of quarterfinal exits. But he’s headed back in the right direction.
 
“You want to carry momentum into the Countdown. Being the defending U.S. Nationals champion, I was starting to get concerned that we didn’t have that momentum to get ready for the Traxxas Shootout and trying to compete and defend our title at the U.S. Nationals,” Crampton said. “The whole team is excited about the outlook at the next even races. I can’t wait to see how the chips fall at the end of the Countdown.” 

Force ran a 3.771, 293.79 in the Monster Energy Dragster on the 1,000-foot course in Sunday’s final. Susan Wade

HIGHT FINALLY GETS IN 2015 VICTORY COLUMN - For the last three NHRA national events – Denver, Sonoma, and Seattle – all the talk in nitro Funny Car has been about Don Schumacher Racing’s drivers Jack Beckman and Tommy Johnson Jr.

Beckman has been the fastest car on the planet, setting world records, and winning at Denver and Sonoma and then Johnson Jr. was the champion at Seattle.

Well, Robert Hight finally stopped the DSR dominance.

Hight drove his John Force Racing Chevy to a victory over Tommy Johnson Jr. in the finals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Hight clocked a 3.956-second time at 323.58 mph to defeat Johnson’s 4.130-second run.

“We had a real good car and it was running good,” Hight said. “We had been doing better than Tommy Johnson, so I felt good. But, when you have these kind of conditions, you never know what you are going to get. This thing was a handful to drive (Sunday). We changed a bunch of things on the car and it was carrying the front end. It was tough. I’m not going to get cocky, the DSR cars have been dominant, but I would say we closed the gap a bunch this weekend, and I know we have a lot of work to do. We are going to keep it up and go to Indy this week and test and we know we have a lot of work to do, but this was a timely win.”

This was Hight’s first win of the season and the 35th of his career. Those 35 wins tied Hight for fourth on the all-time nitro Funny Car victory list with Don Prudhomme and Cruz Pedregon.

“To have my name mentioned with Don Prudhomme and Cruz, that’s pretty impressive,” Hight said.

This victory, which was Hight’s first at Brainerd, also allowed Hight to grab the last spot in the Traxxas Shootout at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

“I didn’t want to go against Courtney in a fan vote (for a spot in the Traxxas Shootout), are you kidding me?” Hight said. “We got in the Traxxas Shootout and I wasn’t in it last year.”

Hight’s Brainerd performance left him eighth in the points standings – just seven points behind seventh place Tim Wilkerson.

“We have a good team,” Hight said. “We have a lot of work to do, but we are up for the challenge. We can’t be relaxed (going into Indy). There’s way too may good cars in this Funny Car field. Look at Tim Wilkerson, he’s out here running (3)92 first and second round and that car is stout. I’ve always had confidence in my team, but I always try to work hard and get better.”

At Brainerd, Hight defeated Ron Capps, Brian Stewart and Wilkerson before ousting Johnson Jr. in the finals.

“Brainerd has been a horrible race for me, I mean horrible,” Hight said. “The worst on the tour. So, to finally get a win here, that will give me a little confidence coming back here next year. The way the cars ran in qualifying with warmer temperatures, we knew we had to get after it (Sunday). It was not a time to be weak or be conservative.” Tracy Renck

ENDERS-STEVENS CAPTURES BRAINERD WIN - Just when Chris McGaha was on top of the Pro Stock class, Erica Enders-Stevens showed Sunday why she is the reigning world champion.

Enders-Stevens claimed the title at the Lucas Oil Nationals, beating Jason Line on a holeshot in the finals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway.

Enders-Stevens clocked a 6.552-second pass at 210.34 mph compared to Line’s 6.541-second lap at 211.06 mph. The difference was at the starting line.

Enders-Stevens, who drives the Elite Motorsports Camaro, had an .014 reaction time, while Line had an .043 reaction time.

“I had a really good feeling all week, even before we set foot on the property here in Brainerd,” Enders-Stevens said. “I feel like it is our time to shine. It’s an amazing win for our group. Mark Ingersoll, who is new to our team this year, he’s only not won at two race tracks and Brainerd was one of them and Indy is another and we are going to do our best to seal that deal for him.”

Enders-Stevens acknowledged racing Line, the hometown favorite, was something that wasn’t weighing heavy on her mind.

“I always go up there with the mentality that I have the best team, I have the best race car and I’m the best driver,” Enders-Stevens said. “That’s what you have to tell yourself in order to succeed otherwise you might as well leave your car at the trailer. My sister reminded me in the staging lanes, remember how many times people stole your hometown victory from you so go do that to Jason. That was kind of cool and all in good fun. The Summit guys have all of our respect. They are a great team and they certainly picked up in the finals, but I’m just really happy to put a win in our column, especially on a holeshot victory, that’s pretty exciting for me as a driver.”

This was Enders-Stevens fifth victory of the season and her first since Bristol, Tenn. The win also gave her the season points lead back heading into the U.S. Nationals Sept. 2-7 in Indianapolis. Enders-Stevens is 16 points in front of Greg Anderson.

“This is definitely awesome taking win No. 5 to the bank,” Enders-Steven said. “It seems like we not had been to the winner’s circle in quite some time, not to be greedy, but we have really struggled this summer and that’s not typical of our team. We definitely got our act together a little bit this week. We worked on some things back at the shop and our team, my engine builders, three crew chiefs and my team owner (Richard Freeman) had a conference call last week and we got our game faces on pretty much. Things really turned around for us (Sunday). We had a really fast, really awesome consistent race car and that’s what it takes. This is a really crucial time in our season, especially heading into to Indy where it is worth a point and a half. It is a great time to get that momentum to swing back to our side of the fence and I’m so proud of my team.” Tracy Renck

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY: PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE WALLY NO. 30’S FOR YOU - Kayden Krawiec got one.

Daddy Eddie Krawiec brought his five-year-old home an NHRA Wally trophy for one of his 29 Pro Stock Motorcycle victories as a birthday gift to her.

The statue for Sunday’s victory No. 30 was his birthday present to wife Annemarie.

“It was only fitting,” Krawiec said after winning the bike-class showdown with his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson colleague and Avon, Ind., neighbor Andrew Hines at the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway.

Krawiec used a considerably sharper reaction time (.051 seconds to Hines’ .145) to launch his winning 6.844-second, 194.30-mph pass. Hines chased with a 6.894, 190.66.

With his third consecutive victory, he stretched his points lead over No. 2-ranked Hector Arana Jr. from 106 points to 126 and over No. 3-ranked Hines from 156 to 177.

Shut out of the winners circle until mid-July at Denver, Krawiec said after earning his third consecutive triumph, “When you look at the points, you can’t say [we’ve] struggled. I have a great motorcycle under me. I’ve had it pretty much all year. We’ve just lacked consistency.

“Since Denver, we’ve got into the groove, figured out what the motorcycle wants,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to go to three final rounds and win all three [including at Denver and Sonoma. I also won the NHRA Bike Battle at Sonoma.

“So I’m on a pretty good roll,” Krawiec said. “Hopefully it's not too early - after Indy is when you really want to get on a roll like this. But hopefully I can continue all the way to Pomona [at the finals in November].”

He advanced Sunday past Hector Arana, LE Tonglet, and Matt Smith to reach his sixth final round of the year and gain his second Brainerd trophy. Krawiec won here in 2012, too.

Krawiec joined Richie Crampton (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), and Erica Enders (Pro Stock). Susan Wade

TOP RACEDAY TAKEAWAYS
 
HISTORIC RUN I – Antron Brown has had numerous memorable moments in his Top Fuel driving career.

The Don Schumacher Racing driver added another memory Sunday when he clocked a 3.680-second lap at 331.12 mph to beat J.R. Todd’s 3.703-second run.

Brown’s pass was the fastest Top Fuel run in NHRA history. Todd was the tough luck loser as his run was the seventh quickest in Top Fuel.

En route to advancing to the semifinals Sunday, Brown cut into Don Schumacher Racing teammate and Top Fuel points leader Tony Schumacher in large part due to 20 bonus points earned by setting an NHRA record in the rain-delayed first round to become the first to break the 3.6-second barrier. His run of 3.696 in the next round was within 1 percent of his opening run that earned his team the record worth 20 bonus points.

Brown broke his national record of 3.701 seconds set in 2012 near Reading, Penn.

The Matco team will go into the NHRA U.S. Nationals in two weeks trailing Schumacher by 53 points in the Mello Drag Racing Series.

"You know what, it's just a great day to be out here," said Antron, who has won four times this year and cut 34 points off Schumacher's lead from the start of the weekend. "Very seldom do you get conditions like this. We were just pushing it every round, we wanted to see what the track could hold so when we get in these kind of conditions later in the year we'll know what to do. We're looking for the edge.

"I'm just really stoked and really happy for our whole Matco Tools team because the car was doing exactly what they wanted it to do. We were the first ones in the 3s and the first in the 3.6s here with the national ET record. The main thing is we picked up points on our teammate Tony with the US Army car right in front of us. We just want to get close to them and have a shot at getting that No. 1 spot and those extra 30 point as the points leader when the Countdown (to the Championship) starts." 

HISTORIC RUN II – Antron Brown wasn’t in the Top Fuel history books for long. In the second round, Shawn Langdon made a blistering 3.662-second to put his name in the record book as the fastest recorded Top Fuel pass. Langdon didn’t have time to celebrate as he lost in the semifinals to eventual race-winner Richie Crampton, and couldn’t back up the ET, so Brown has the record.

FIRST-ROUND BLUES – This has been a forgettable stretch for Top Fuel driver Spencer Massey.

Massey, who drives for Don Schumacher Racing, has been a championship contender every season since 2011, but things haven’t been going good for the Texas native for the last two months.

Massey, who qualified No. 8 for the Lucas Oil Nationals, clocked a 3.739-second run with a career-best speed of 332.75 mph, but was upended by No. 9 qualifier Larry Dixon who ran a 3.703-second elapsed time.

This was the sixth race in a row Massey lost in the first round of eliminations. The streak Massey wants to forget consists of early losses at Bristol, Norwalk, Chicago, Denver, Seattle and Brainerd.

"We would've beat a lot of other cars in that first round, just not the one we were racing," Spencer said. "That's just how it's been for us lately. We have a good car, we make good runs in qualifying and on race day but we just don't get the win light.

"It's frustrating. We're better than what we're showing right now. We just have to keep our heads up and keep working hard and that's what this Red Fuel team is doing."

The last time Massey won a round was at Epping, N.H., when he beat Leah Pritchett, and Dave Connolly, before losing his teammate Tony Schumacher in the semifinals.
Massey fell to 10th in the point standings – 124 points in front of 11th place Clay Millican.

NO BACK-TO-BACK CHAMP: Morgan Lucas, the defending Top Fuel champion at Brainerd, saw his chance to repeat disappear in round one when he lost to his teammate Richie Crampton.

Crampton’s 3.964-second time was enough to upend Lucas, who came in at 4.678 seconds.

"No loss feels good but when you see your teammate, who had the quickest car in qualifying, move on and stay in the fight for the trophy, it definitely softens the blow," Lucas said. "My guys will jump over to that side of the pit and do whatever we can to help them advance. We want to keep the Lucas Oil Nationals Wally (trophy) in our camp."

That’s exactly what happened.

MOVE OVER BECKMAN – Matt Hagan, the reigning nitro Funny Car world champ, flexed his muscles in the first round. Hagan clocked a 3.879-second time at 329.58 mph to defeat Del Worsham. Hagan’s run was the fastest in NHRA nitro Funny Car history.

Hagan made the quickest run, but then was sent to the trailer by Jack Beckman. Beckman, who has had the fastest Funny Car on the planet since Sonoma, beat Hagan in the second round.

Beckman clocked a 3.903-second run to edge Hagan’s 3.947-second lap.

"It was definitely covering some ground," Hagan said. "I had to drive it there at the big end. I just can't say enough about (crew chief) Dickie Venables. (DSR teammate Jack Beckman's crew chief) Jimmy Prock and those guys are running strong but you can't count out this team. We're digging, we have our noses down. We just have to stay humble. For Rocky Boots, for Mopar and everyone supporting us, that was a pretty cool run."

The two quickest Dodge Charger R/T's in NHRA history faced off in the second round of eliminations under overcast skies and temperatures in the upper 50s after rain delayed the start of racing by nearly three hours. 

The second-round race again made NHRA history by being the first time two Funny Cars clocked 3-second laps side-by-side in eliminations.

Matt's 3.947 at 327 was lost to Beckman's 3.903 at 326. 

"We have a great racecar and a great team but we still have a lot of work ahead of us," Hagan said. "I never would have guessed that we would run our second best time ever and be on the trailer. It's good to run those numbers but we just have to keep digging. We have to work hard and at the end of the year hopefully we'll get it done. Jimmy Prock and those boys are running strong and pushing everyone to do better."

Beckman’s day ended in the semis to DSR teamamte Tommy Johnson Jr.

BECKMAN SETS ET RECORD AGAIN – Jack Beckman wanted to walk away from Brainerd with a Wally.

That didn’t happen, but Beckman was upbeat about his results.

Beckman and the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car team led by crew chief Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham didn't leave Brainerd International Raceway Sunday with the prized winner's trophy, but the Don Schumacher Racing team certainly didn't go home empty handed.

The Infinite Hero team took over the points lead during qualifying and were able to extend the margin over DSR teammate and reigning world champion Matt Hagan to 50 points after eliminating Hagan in the quarterfinals and then getting a 20-point bonus for resetting the NHRA elapsed time record. Jack recorded a time of 3.901 seconds in qualifying and his 3.903 against Hagan was within 1 percent of that to back it up.

Hagan and crew chief Dickie Venables were able to reach an NHRA milestone in the first round when the team became the first to break the 3.9-second barrier with a run of 3.879 seconds but were unable to back it up.

"We left with the record and that's 20 extra points," Beckman said. "That could be big."

LACK OF FORCE – A year ago, Courtney Force was a championship contender. The 2015 season has been a struggle and after she lost to John Hale in the first round at Brainerd she is on the verge of not qualifying for the six-race Countdown to the Championship. Force left Brainerd 11th in the point standings – 73 points behind 10th place Alexis DeJoria. There’s only one race left in the regular season – the U.S. Nationals Sept. 2-7 in Indianapolis.

DeJoria qualified a season-best No. 3, but was upset by Brian Stewart in round one. DeJoria had a wild ride and slowed to 8.710 seconds. Stewart came across the line at 6.487 seconds for the win.

“The car went up and it shook. I did a quick pedal trying to get it to recover fast. Obviously the conditions are great here, but we tried to get that Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS down to the other end; that was the most important thing and it was just on its side, left and right. I was trying to get it away from the wall,” said Force.

“I was hoping we could just coast down there. You could tell on the replay, my foot wasn’t even on the throttle because the butterflies weren’t open on the injector, but I was just waiting for her to settle down. It was one wild ride, and I can honestly say it felt like what I imagined a wild bull ride to be like,” added Force.

The 27-year-old is in her fourth year racing her Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing series.

“After this weekend, we had a great performing car up until that run, and didn’t fall too far back to where this Countdown is out of sight. We are going into a points-and-a-half race in Indy so we will be out there testing before the’ Big Go’ and give this our all on our last shot to make it,” Force said.

BUTNER GETS WIN – Bo Butner has had a successful racing career in NHRA’s Sportsman ranks. This season he’s competing in a limited Pro Stock schedule and he turns some heads Sunday with his first round win.

Butner defeated rookie Pro Stock driver Drew Skillman with a 6.579-second run compared to Skillman’s 6.640-second time.

Butner’s day in second round when he lost to current world champion Erica Enders-Stevens.

MCGAHA’S STREAK ENDS – Chris McGaha was the hottest driver in Pro Stock for two weeks. The Odessa, Texas native won at Sonoma (Calif.) and Seattle after qualifying No. 1 at both events. Those also were McGaha’s first two career wins.

McGaha won 10 rounds in a row before losing to Enders-Stevens in the semifinals.

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK – ONE SESSION DOES IT FOR TODAY

TOP FUEL

DRIVING THROUGH THE PAIN - Clay Millican returned to the wheel of his Parts Plus/Great Clips dragster at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., a little over a week after the loss of his son Dalton, who lost his life in a tragic motorcycle accident.

"It was pretty hard yesterday," Millican told ESPN's Gary Gerould as he fought back the tears. "It's where my little boy wants me to be. He's a racer. I'm a racer. This is my family out here. I have family at home and I have a bunch of supporters. That little man up there would be mad at me if I wasn't in that race car. That's where I am at."

Millican ended the day as the No. 12 seeded driver with a 3.801 elapsed time at 308.00 miles per hour. He races Shawn Langdon in the first round.

 

CRAMPTON COMES ALIVE BEFORE THE RAIN - During Friday's Top Fuel Q-2 qualifying session at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., sophomore driver Richie Crampton was on his way to a strong pass that could have put him atop the field. However, he lifted early and coasted through to a slower elapsed time. 

Saturday Crampton got another shot at the track and made it a full pull with a 3.718-second elapsed time at 323.50 miles per hour to secure his second No. 1 qualifier of the season.

Crampton posted his big number in 74-degree air temperature, a relative humidity of 72 percent, the barometer at 28.35 inches, the adjusted altitude at 3,692 feet, and a track temperature of 80 degrees.

"This is what Aaron Brooks tries to accomplish when the conditions are like they are out here," said Crampton. "It was flying yesterday in the Q-2 session but it didn't feel right, so I lifted early. The early numbers were pretty decent. We were looking forward to Q-4 because we believed we could have run even better."

Unfortunately for Crampton and the Lucas Oil Top Fuel team, at 4:30 PM officials announced that qualifying was complete when rain set in with a threat of severe weather forecasted. 

Crampton believes had there been a fourth session, race fans might have been treated to a 3.6-second run. 

"I was kind of curious what the rest of the field could do," admitted Crampton. "There's a lot of good dragster teams around that could run in the 3.60 zone. I think everyone is waiting for that day."

MAYBE TOMORROW ... -  It's not the kind of track record a driver needs to be reminded of. For Spencer Massey, the dark cloud of having not won a round of competition since June's Epping race has him seeking any ray of sunshine he can find. 

Three  quick qualifying laps in Brainerd qualifying can only be considered a move in the right direction. 

It all started on Friday afternoon with a 3.81-second lap at 324 mph before unleashing a 3.763 lap at a track-record speed 330.31 mph on Friday evening. That placed the team led by crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler eighth for Sunday's eliminations where the forecast high is 63 degrees with overcast skies.

"Day one in Brainerd was a success," Spencer said. "We made two good laps and that last one at 330 mph felt like the old days with this Red Fuel dragster. We're running really strong right now, and we'll come out here tomorrow and try to learn some more and be ready for race day.

"Phil and Todd have been working hard to get this thing turned around for us and it is showing. Great confidence building day for this team."

Only one qualifying session was run on Saturday afternoon before persistent rain showers forced NHRA officials to cancel the final session.

"We wish we would've gotten that last session in because we were going to really push for it," Spencer said. "All in all, we're pretty happy with our qualifying efforts here in Brainerd. Tomorrow is going to be cool and overcast and some great conditions out there. It'll be interesting, for sure."

Massey races Larry Dixon in the opening round of Sunday's eliminations.

 

 

 

RAIN STINKS - The Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster driven by Brittany Force will be the most affected by the lost session when you consider the team made one solid run yesterday and then overpowered the track on the following two runs trying to find the balance between power and traction. Force will go into race day as the No. 11 qualifier and will face rookie Top Fuel driver Dave Connolly in the first round. Force’s run of 3.787 seconds held up and her team was trying to take advantage of cool temperatures and improve on that time.

“Everyone is in the same boat. We would have liked to have had that last qualifying run. We did get one good run and on the second run we were pushing it pretty hard. Hopefully conditions will stay cool so we can use the info we got from the first run and be set up for tomorrow. I am lucky to have two great crew chiefs in Todd Smith and Ronnie Thompson. I’ll have Dave Connolly in the first round and we will have to give it our best,” said Force, the 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year.

Brittany Force is 1-0 versus Dave Connolly. She beat the Top Fuel rookie in the first round of the Gatornationals earlier this season.

FUNNY CAR

BOB FREY WOULD SAY - If Bob Frey were still announcing, he'd likely categorize Jack Beckman's 3.901 elapsed time as "just showing off." For the third straight event, the Infinite Hero team with crew chief Jimmy Prock and assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham ran the quickest time by a Funny Car to win three consecutive No. 1 qualifying positions.

"I bet a lot of teams must have left a little something on the table," Beckman said. "Let's just go with what the scoreboard said. When I went past the scoreboard and saw that 3.90 I thought, well, there goes Jimmy, John and Chris again. When you see a car that is this unbelievable everything becomes believable.

"No. 1 qualifier should give you an easier first-round match-up but with nitro Funny Car it doesn't always work that way," said Beckman, who earned his fourth pole of the year through 17 of 24 events and the 14th of his career.

"It's not something I'll hang my hat on. To me, that's a crew chief award."

The Infinite Hero team posted its third straight 3-second run of the weekend and were quickest in each session to earn nine bonus points and extend its championship points lead to 10 points over DSR teammate and reigning world champion Matt Hagan. Hagan's 3.984-second run earned the No. 9 qualifying spot making him the first driver to crack the 3-second barrier in qualifying and NOT get lane choice to start Sunday.

WHEN YOU ALMOST RUN YOUR BEST - You know you're in a tough field when you run just .008 off of your career best, and it only earns you the tenth spot in the sixteen-car field. Tim Wilkerson knows the feeling all too well as he posted a 4.018, and starts as the second quickest driver in the bottom half of the field.  

"We were on our way to two different three-second runs, but dropped cylinders slowed us down, so we have to get that figured out," Wilk said. "This has been a season like no other that I can remember, with the records falling like we just started running a new distance, and Jack Beckman only missed being the first in the 3.8s by a hair today, with his 3.901. That's practically crazy.

"We'll all be dealing with a whole new set of circumstances tomorrow, if that forecast is true and the rain moves out of here. It'll probably still be in the 50s when we run the first round, and you'd have to expect it to be stout and fast out there. If we can keep all eight lit, we can run with anybody. That's the goal.

I MEANT TO DO THAT ... WELL, NOT REALLY - John Force experienced a wild moment in his Q-3 burnout. As the 11-time Brainerd winner was rolling through the water box he hit the throttle and his car veered to the right dramatically. The veteran driver regained control and calmly staged his Funny Car.

“I don’t know if I got something underneath the tire on the burn out but I am better than that. (Auto Club crew chief) Mike Neff and young (Force’s crew chief) Jon Schaffer and the whole brain trust, we just keep trying. We are a mile behind those guys over there at Schumacher Racing but I am excited because I have this Peak Chevrolet Camaro and we are getting better."

Force made a career best run of 3.93 seconds to secure the No. 2 qualifying position. He picked up two qualifying bonus points for his effort. For the first time all three John Force Racing Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Cars made three second runs at the same event and all three will start in the top half of the field, led by John Force.

On the run Force blasted down the track with a career quickest elapsed time and was the No. 1 qualifier until the last pair of Funny Cars made their final attempt. Force was bumped back one spot and will face No. 15 qualifier Dale Creasy Jr. in the first round. Force is 12-4 versus Creasy but has had challenges against the veteran driver in their past handful of meetings. He defeated Creasy in the first round of the Lucas Oil Nationals in 1999.

 

 

WANT SOME OF THAT ACTION - Tommy Johnson Jr. will start from the No. 5 position and race Cruz Pedregon in the first round on Sunday. During Friday's blitzkrieg of three-second runs, Johnson laid down a personal best 3.974 at 319.60.
 
"We know, we have had a very consistent car, but John [Collins, crew chief] wanted to run better, so they made some big moves," said Johnson, who has been to four finals in the last seven races and has two wins so far this year. "We were trying different approaches to see if we couldn't step up our program. When I hit the throttle, it jumped on the tire quick and was really moving through the middle. It was a really good run, but when I came around the corner and they told me it was a 4.97, I was surprised. It was nice and smooth, and the faster you go, the smoother it seems. We were very pleased to be able to step up the performance and join some of the other cars that have been running good numbers like that."
 
The remarkable nature of the field is not lost on Johnson. For the first time, there is a car in the bottom half that made a sub four-second pass.
 
"I think everybody is stepping up as a whole," said Johnson. "You know, [Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack] Beckman and those guys are really doing a good job, and I think they woke everybody up to, 'hey, we all can run those numbers.' The whole class has stepped up. I’m glad we have joined them and made that move with them. You’d hate to be left behind."
 
 

 

MAKING A RUN FOR IT - Courtney Force qualified fourth with her Friday best of 3.959 at 320.66 in her Traxxas Camaro. 

“We made a good run yesterday with our career-best ET and that got us qualified in the top half of the field," she said. "We’re going into race day in a good place. I think we found the spot on our race car where we know how far we can push it so we’re ready for race day tomorrow,” said Force.

This is Ms. Force’s best-ever starting spot at Brainerd International Raceway. She will have lane choice over John Hale, whom she has never faced in eliminations. He is her 29th different opponent in the Funny Car category.

PRO STOCK

HOLDING THE FORT - Shane Gray picked up the maximum bonus points in rounds one and two of qualifying at Brainerd International Raceway; he had the quickest car on the property in both rounds to accumulate six bonus marks in addition to the normal qualifying points. After a rain-shortened qualifying, Gray's 6.607, 208.88 was strong enough to hold onto the No. 1 spot. 

Today, Gray belted out a 6.625, 208.26 before the final session was canceled.  The No. 1 is the 168th pole for Chevrolet and the 96th for the Camaro brand. Because there are 15 cars in the Brainerd field, Gray will have a bye run in the first round.
            
"Round one will be awful hard for me to screw up," joked Gray, who is starting No. 1 for the first time since the Dallas race in 2014. "I just have to make sure I don't cross the centerline or anything stupid like that. I think it's going to be a fun day tomorrow. The conditions are going to be a lot different than they have been all weekend, so it will be different. I'm looking forward to it."

IN A CLINCHING STATE OF MIND -  Larry Morgan currently ranks sixth in the world and could clinch his spot in the six-race Countdown to the Championship as soon as this weekend. He could also move up a position to fifth with a big race day. If he seals the deal, it will be only his second career Countdown berth. 
 
"With this race and just one more to go before the playoffs, you do start thinking about it," Morgan said. "I'm more excited to gain some race day momentum than I am worried about what position we are when it starts. We've seen year after year that your performance in the payoffs is what matters. Teams have won it all after starting the playoffs in 10th place. We're excited to be a part of it." 

UNCHARTED TERRITORY - Jonathan Gray ran his best run on Saturday with a 6.634, 207.85.
           
 "We showed up here with a different motor package than we ran in Sonoma and Seattle," said Jonathan. "It obviously didn't run like we were hoping it would, so we put the old stand-by stuff in, and it just didn't respond the way we thought it should. So now we're back to bottom-half qualifying again, and that doesn't make us real happy.
            
"We were kind of swinging a little bit, trying to get the car to do something, get it to speed up a little bit. I don't think we can go all the way back to the way it was, but the challenge will be how different the weather will be tomorrow. On Sunday, it's supposed to be 60 degrees and cloudy, so it will be a little bit of a crapshoot for everybody. It's going to be interesting. It'll be fast. Real fast."
            
Jonathan will race Greg Anderson in the first round on Sunday. 

IN THE PLAYOFFS - Allen Johnson secured a playoff spot just by making a qualifying run in his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart. He ran three solid passes, first posting a 6.616/208.20 lap to take second spot in provisional qualifying and then adding a 6.620/208.20 for the third quickest run of Q2, then once again clocking the second quickest pass at 6.616-seconds at 207.43 mph in Q3.
 
The 20-year Mopar veteran earned a total of five bonus points and put himself fourth on the final timing sheets

 

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

FIRST ONE - Andrew Hines, the defending series champ and a two-time winner at BIR, rode his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to the top qualifying position in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a performance of 6.937 at 190.54. It is his first No. 1 of the season and 36th of his career.

Like Shane Gray in Pro Stock, Hines will also get a single in the opener, as there are only 15 bikes entered.

“Having that bye run the first round could mean the difference right now,” Hines said. “It’s unfortunate that we didn’t have enough motorcycles that trekked up here to Minnesota, but getting the No. 1 qualifier for Harley-Davidson and being able to have that bye run, we can take a chance on Sunday and try to learn something first round. That’s something we probably wouldn’t do on a normal Sunday when you have to race somebody in the other lane. The field is so stacked right now, so I guess it’s a blessing in disguise to have nobody in the other lane. We were going to try something in the fourth qualifier, and that setup is still in the bike, so we’ll roll it out first round tomorrow and see what happens.”

OTHER MATCH-UPS - Eddie Krawiec qualified second with a 6.949 at 191.97 on his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson and Hector Arana Jr. will start third on his Lucas Oil Buell with a 6.951 at 193.88. Alligator farmer Jerry Savoie qualified fourth on his Suzuki with a 6.994 at 192.49.  

 

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK

TOP FUEL

LAST GASP MOMENTUM - Shawn Langdon moved to the top of the 16-car qualifying order on the day’s final run with a 3.749 at 321.35 in his Knuckle Sandwich/Toyota dragster.

Langdon, currently seventh in points, has only one win this season in two final round appearances, and says his team is peaking at just the right time.

“We really felt like we turned a corner with the car in the middle of the Sonoma race,” Langdon said. “We continued to make good runs in Seattle, where we were fortunate enough to get to the finals, and we made two more great runs today. It’s good timing. Alan [Johnson, team owner] always seems to turn it up a notch when we’re getting close to Countdown [to the Championship] time. It’s a good race. Hopefully, we can do a little celebrating tonight in ‘the Zoo.’” 

Richie Crampton qualified second in his Lucas Oil dragster with a 3.754 at 318.54 and was followed by Steve Torrence, who is trying to improve his top 10 position before the playoffs, and sits third with a 3.758 at 326.63 in his Capco Contractors dragster. Spencer Massey is fourth with a 3.758 at 326.63 in his Red Fuel dragster. Series leader and three-time BIR winner Tony Schumacher is ninth in the U.S. Army dragster with a 3.807 at 318.62.

SOPHOMORE JINX? NOT HARDLY - Rookie of the Year and Top Fuel sophomore Richie Crampton has performed well enough in his second season of driving the Morgan Lucas Racing Top Fuel dragster to prove he's got the stuff front-running and contending nitro drivers are made of. 

Crampton currently sits fourth in NHRA Top Fuel standings with three wins under his belt thus far this season. 

“Our focus is on raceday consistency and not trying to change too much,” said Crampton. “We have a good race car right now, and we need to focus on every little detail and continue doing what we've been doing. The entire team is excited about the outlook of the Countdown, given our current position in points. We're going to try to put an exclamation point on that.”

Keeping focused on the challenge ahead motivates Crampton.  Doing well is the only item on his agenda with just two races left in the regular season. 
 
“For me, it's easier to focus on going and racing,” Crampton said. “A lot of the pressure of being the new guy is obviously gone now. There's no pressure to win the rookie of the year award. My comfort level is a lot higher inside the race car and outside the race. All of that being said, being able to just concentrate on going and racing each event is where I'm at right now.”

Crampton could potentially lock in his playoff berth this weekend, and with noted tuner Aaron Brooks calling the shots, it's possible the playoff spot could come with an exclamation mark. 

“Everyone knows the ability of Aaron Brooks, but my entire crew is awesome, too,” Crampton said. “We have some of the best working at MLR that Morgan assembled over the past eight or nine years of the team's existence. We have the staff, we have great racecars that we build ourselves, and we have all the resources we need to try and contend for a championship.

“The fact that I have one of the best crew chiefs and one of the best crews in the business, that definitely indicates to me that we've got the tools we're going to require to contend for a championship.”

FAVORITE SON - Morgan Lucas and Brainerd International Raceway have history. The driver of the Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster made his first career start at Brainerd in 2004 and gained a second career win here in 2009. He has won at Brainerd three times, including last year as a part-time racer.  
 
"Last year we got two wins, and they were probably the most special wins I've ever had," Lucas said. "To win the way we did in Brainerd was amazing. Having mom be able to hand me the trophy; you don't know how many opportunities like that you're going to have in life, and it's great to be able to capitalize on them.
 
"Then in Pomona (Calif.), having my family there -- my wife and my son -- and my wife's parents and my parents was a real special deal. Last year, we were blessed with a lot of good success."
 
Lucas hasn't fared as well in his part-time approach this season. The team tested in Indianapolis on Monday. 
 
"The test went really well," Lucas said. "We found some stuff going into the first round in Epping, and the results definitely didn't show there, but we were on to something. That run was probably our first run of the year in the sense of having everything the way it should be.
 
"Testing was more or less a confidence booster going into the event, trying to get an extra qualifying run or two. The car did exactly what we wanted it to do. We only made two hits, and we shut it off at 330 both runs. That makes me excited, makes the team excited, and it helps the confidence." 
  
FUNNY CAR 

SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED - Once again, Jack Beckman authored a bestseller story in Brainerd.

Beckman thundered to the top of Friday's provisional qualifying with the third quickest elapsed time in 1000-foot Funny Car history with a 3.946 elapsed time. Additionally his speed of 324.75 mph is a track record and the sixth fastest ever.

Beckman earned six bonus points for Friday qualifying, leapfrogging teammate Matt Hagan for the Funny Car point lead.  The lead, although provisionally, marks the first time since 2012 that Beckman has been the leader. 

"It might be signed by my hand but the pen I'm using belongs to Jimmy Prock, John Medlen and Chris Cunningham," he said of his team on the cusp of a fourth No. 1 qualifying effort.

Beckman now owns the four quickest runs in Funny Car history. 

PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE - Just how dominating has the Jack Beckman Infinite Hero team been for the last month?

Three races in three weeks has resulted in two Funny Car titles, two No. 1 qualifiers and set the NHRA national elapsed time record in Funny Car, once officially and another time unofficially. 

Hard to believe the team which started the season with a DNQ now has five wins in 13 races. 

"We're chasing Hagan and Dickie and they have been the class of the field for a year and a half and they stretched out a lead that I thought was insurmountable," said Beckman, who started the Western Swing trailing leader Matt Hagan by 145 points and is now 86 behind.

"They won their fourth race before anyone but Capps had won two races. The only way to catch a car like that is if you do perfect and they stumble, but we did better than perfect on the Western Swing because we got the national record and all those bonus points in qualifying.

"If we can take over first, that's a 30 points cushion and more importantly, it's a 60-point swing relative to the top two teams."

HOLDING GROUND – Robert Hight came into Brainerd in a tie with Alexis DeJoria. He did well in bettering his chances as in the first session he stepped up and grabbed two qualifying bonus points. His 3.994 second run pushed him to the back of the pack for the night time session. 

Hight was in one of the last two Funny Cars to race down the BIR track with conditions improving every second. He blasted off the starting line and crossed the finish line with a solid 3.974 second pass. Hight made back-to-back three-second runs for the first time in his career. He will go into Saturday as the provisional No. 4 qualifier and his confidence was showing at the end of the day.

“Some things that were tried at the match race over the past weekend, we plug them into my Auto Club Chevy for the first time and it makes two three second runs in a row,” said Hight. “That is the first time we have ever done that. When you look at the race car it is not out of control and there is room for improvement. We have closed the gap. We have made some big gains here the last couple of weeks and a lot of hard work by everybody is paying off,” said Hight.

MAGIC MAN - John Force has experienced both the best and worst of Brainerd International Raceway. He leads all NHRA professional drivers with eleven wins at the facility located three hours outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. But, since 2007, the 16-time Funny Car champion has been mired in a winless slump at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, once known as the Northstar Nationals. 

“It’s an exciting race,” said Force. “I have been on fire there and been sent to the burn center, but I have come back and won that race a ton. Hell I don’t even know how many times I have won it but I love racing there.”

Force ranks fourth headed into this weekend's event and a playoff berth with just two races to go is essentially a cinch. 

“Starting with this race it is all about the Countdown,” Force said. “We are also trying to get cars into the Traxxas Shootout because that is the last race for Robert or Courtney to get a guaranteed spot. There are two more races before the Countdown starts and we want to get everyone into the top 10.”

Right now, the Funny Car division is largely dominated by Don Schumacher Racing, winning 13 of 2015's first 16 events. Only Force and Tim Wilkerson, with a combined three wins, have kept DSR from perfection.  

“It is almost the beginning of the Countdown and you need every point you can get,” Force said. “This is the toughest competition I have ever seen in Funny Car. “

COUNTING POINTS - Tim Wilkerson is like a lot of drivers in learning the challenges of clinching a playoff spot from the bottom of the points standings with the increased points of Indy looming on the horizon. 

Wilkerson, who has one win thus far this season, sits two points behind No. 7 ranked Cruz Pedregon and 51-points ahead of Alexis DeJoria and Robert Hight, who are tied for ninth place. Courtney Force, just outside of the top ten, is 125 points behind Wilkerson. 

With Indianapolis accounting for 1.5 points, a nearly seven round lead isn't a sure bet. Indianapolis will be worth 30 points instead of the standard 20.

"They made that change to get Indy back to actually being a special race and our biggest event, so that's a good thing, but first we have to do some good in Brainerd and maybe then we can go to Indy two weeks from now and let other drivers stress out over who's in and who's not," Wilkerson said. "There are lots of other ways to earn points, including the little bonus points for each session in qualifying and your points for whatever position you land in. If my math is right, I think it's possible to gain 19 points that way on some other driver at a typical race, even if both of you qualified and nobody set a national record. I don't know if that's ever happened, but I know we've never come close to running the table like that, during qualifying.

"We've earned some bonus points this year, and that's something we're proud of, but we generally have to get them here and there, rather than in bunches. So, the real focus has to be on the round wins, and I've been saying for five races now that if we just keep winning rounds, even one of them at each race, it's going to be nearly impossible for all three of the cars behind us to get by us. I'm not going to worry about it anyway, because I'm looking ahead and trying to figure out how I can get by a very good team led by Cruz Pedregon. That's my goal. Just keep playing offense."

BATTLING BACK - Courtney Force and her Traxxas team improved in the second qualifying session with their 3.959 second pass and took over the top spot until the next pair ran. They picked up two additional qualifying points for making the second-quickest run of the session.

“We came back in the second session and pushed the car a little bit harder. We made a career-best run at 3.95 seconds, making us the fastest car out there for the time being. We got bumped down one spot when the next pair made their run, but we’re very excited to see the progress that we’ve made and we really hope to continue this throughout the weekend.

“I’m really proud of my guys, Ron Douglas, Dan Hood and the entire Traxxas team, for giving us one of the best cars out here. We picked up two bonus points on that run and that’s great because right now, every little bit helps,” Force said.

NORTHERN HOSPITAILITY - Clay Millican sort of has a teammate this weekend as Jim Dunn Racing will have a new look, carrying branding of Minnesota-based Great Clips, Inc. Great Clips corporate employees have been invited to Brainerd International Raceway to watch Jim Dunn Racing and Clay Millican compete for the Wally and enjoy pit-side hospitality.

“We’ve been working with the Stringer Performance team for the past year through our hospitality and we decided it would be a great fit to feature the Great Clips logo on our car for this weekend’s event in Brainerd, considering the close proximity to their corporate headquarters,” said Jon Dunn, team Business Manager. “We are happy to bring more exposure to Great Clips at NHRA events and we look forward to working on more projects with both Great Clips and Stringer Performance in the future.”

PRO STOCK

6.607 SHADES OF GRAY - Shane Gray was a finalist in Brainerd during his first year of Pro Stock. Today he provided a reminder of how he still knows how to run quick.  After leading early with a 6.616-second pass at 209.20 mph, Gray returned to secure the provisional No.1 with a 6.607 at 208.88.
 
"I actually think the conditions were better in the first round of qualifying, but everybody is a little conservative for that first run. I think if everyone would have let it have it in the first session like they did in Q2, it would've been a little bit different," said Gray. 

Gray has four No. 1 qualifying efforts, all of which came last season. 
 
 "This is still a fairly new car for us – we have maybe 50 runs or so on it – but I'm real happy with it," said Gray. "I think the weather is supposed to be completely different conditions for tomorrow, so we'll enjoy this for 12 hours or so anyway, and then we'll have to see what tomorrow brings.
 
"It's important for me to get as many qualifying points as I can because here lately I haven't been getting a whole lot of points on Sunday. They're all important, and it was nice to get six bonus points today. Maybe tomorrow we can get a little bit lucky and pick up a few more. Then it will be up to me to do a good job on Sunday and see if we can capitalize on a good, fast racecar."

HOMETOWN DOUBLE-DUTY - Each year when the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals rolls into town, Minnesotan Jason Line pulls double duty. The two-time NHRA Pro Stock champion and sportsman series champion dusts off his trusty C/Stock Automatic Buick Gran Sport and competes as a sportsman drag racer. 

"I'm excited about this weekend," said Line, who won his first national event in Stock Eliminator at the 1992 Brainerd race. "I have a lot of good memories from growing up and going to Brainerd. That was always a huge deal for us. The national event was something our family looked forward to every year, and my original core group of friends still race there and still love it just as much as they used to."

Unfortunately for Line, he lost in the first round of C/Stock Automatic eliminations, falling victim to a Dan Blabolil holeshot. The day wasn't a total loss as Line qualified No. 8 out of 84 entries, -0.941 under his index with a 10.459. 
 
"I like muscle cars," Line said. "To me, Stockers are the ultimate showcase of that. You get a wide variety of old and brand new muscle cars, and it's fun to watch and fun to race. It's still cool for me to see how fast people can make these cars go. They put a serious amount of effort into it, and they love their racecars. It's a very fun thing to be a part of."

Line is a two-time Stock eliminator winner in Brainerd, but technically has never won at his home track. Last season's race was delayed by weather and completed in Indianapolis, where he won his first Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Pro Stock title. 
 
"It was good to cross this one off the list because it was something I had always wanted to do in Pro Stock, but it would have been more fun to win in Brainerd with my family and friends there," admitted Line. "We'll have a chance this year, and hopefully we'll be able to get it done."

GET YOUR GAME ON - Realistically Larry Morgan should be a cinch to clinch a spot in the playoffs. However, the seasoned veterans and two-time 2015 winner isn't taking anything for granted. 

There are two more point earning events left in the 2015 regular season and with the NHRA US Nationals accounting for 1.5 points, he understands the need to be playoff ready.
 
"I really need to get my act together, or it's going to be a waste to even be in the Countdown," Morgan said. "I'm going over the car, trying to get everything right that we can. We fixed the steering issues, we fixed everything, so I hope we're good to go. I better be."
 
Morgan is experiencing his best season in a long time and headed into the weekend as the sixth-ranked driver. 
 
"It has been a really good year, but we aren't done yet," Morgan said. "It's time to really get in gear and get going."

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

HINES TOPS BIKES - Andrew Hines, the defending series champ and a two-time winner at BIR, rode his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to the Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying lead with a performance of 6.937 at 190.54.

“Believe me, this is a big breath of fresh air for me,” said Hines, who is third in points and still looking for his first No. 1 qualifying position of the season. “It’s been a struggle for me pretty much all year. I got away with that one win there in Charlotte, but to run the way that we did just now, it’s nice to have a quick bike going into Saturday, and I’m going to take it as it comes.”

TRAILING - Series leader Eddie Krawiec was second with a 6.949 at 191.97 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson and Hector Arana Jr. rode his Lucas Oil Buell to the third spot with a 6.951 at 193.88. Alligator farmer Jerry Savoie qualified fourth on his Suzuki with a 6.994 at 192.49.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP - Hector Arana and his sponsor Lucas Oil have a long relationship, dating to when he first spoke to founder Forrest Lucas many years ago. Arana is humbled at the way Lucas Oil and Forrest and Charlotte Lucas have treated him over the years.
 
"It's definitely hard to put into words," Arana said. "I met Forrest over the phone, and ever since we've been friends. I've stayed at his house, and he has treated me as one of his family members."
 
Arana is a veteran in the class, struggling for many years to simply attend races, but after the partnership with Lucas Oil, he won the 2009 championship and has been a consistent threat ever since.
 
"(Forrest) also told me, 'As I grow, you will grow with me,' " Arana said. "Sure enough, I've grown, we've done better, and we have better equipment. He kept his word. There's no contract here; it's just yes or no."
 
Arana has seven career victories, including one earlier this year at Atlanta Dragway. He won in Brained in 2009 and is a two-time No. 1 qualifier (2012 and 2009). 
 
HOME IS WHERE THE HELMET IS - Jim Underdahl understands better now the phrase, you can always come home. For the first time since 2012, the Forest Lake, Minn.-based rider is competing in front of his home state fans. 

“Just to be able to come here and race with my family and friends there, it’s huge,” Underdahl said. “Since it got put back on the schedule, everyone has been calling me. Racing has always been a family sport and I’ve been doing it with my dad for a while. My family has been there for me since day one and for them to be able to come out and help, it’s huge." 
 
A 29-year-old second-generation rider, Underdahl is experiencing a breakout season thus far with a runner-up finish earlier this season in Englishtown.  He's fifth in points due largely in part to back-to-back semifinal appearances in Denver and Sonoma.  

Having already advanced to a final round in Brainerd in 2010, getting that first victory at his home track would mark the most memorable moment of Underdahl’s career.

“I think we’re just a little bit of luck away,” Underdahl said. “We came close in Brainerd a couple years ago and it would be pretty exciting and pretty cool to win in front of my family and friends.”

“The consistency we’ve had this season gives our team quite a bit of confidence,” said Underdahl. “With the new bike we built this season, it was all about being consistent and that’s what we’ve achieved. We struggled a little bit the first couple of races but once we got past the little issues, everything started to come together for us. We just need to stay consistent and hopefully everything comes together at Indy. Hopefully we can then get a win in the Countdown and finish in the top five.”