EVENT RESULTS ASHER'S INSIDER TOP FUEL FUNNY CAR PRO STOCK CAR PRO STOCK BIKE PRO MODIFIED SPORTSMAN VIDEO NOTEBOOK			WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY

 

MONDAY SPORTSMAN FINAL RESULTS

SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - ELIMINATIONS WELL UNDERWAY WITH ONE DAY LEFT

Randy Meyer, who ran a 5.18 in Top Alcohol Dragster, needed only a 5.41 to advance past Bill Litton. Other first round winners included Marty Thacker, Cameron Ferre, Buddy Dominique, Brandon Booher, and Jerry Veale. Chris Demke was low with a 5.31.

Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Steve Harker established himself as the one to beat with a 5.57 to beat Steve Burck. Harker quickly ascended to the top perch when No. 1 qualifier John Lombardo Jr. smoked the tires in the first round and lost to Tony Bogolo. Also advancing was Todd Veney, Andy Bohl, Jay Payne, Annie Whiteley, Johnny Lindberg and Mike Doushgounian.

Fifteen Competition Eliminator car head into Monday's final eliminations.  Troy Galbraith eliminated Arnie Martel with a -.576 under the B/Dragster Automatic index with a 6.784.  Other cars remaining included Randy Daniels (CIC Penalty), Brian Browell, Robert Bailey, Ronnie Bohn, Todd Patterson, Travis Gusso, Kevin Self, Greg Kamplain, Jim Greenheck, Chad Voges, Mark Kirkman, Clint Neff, David Rampy and No. 1 qualifier Craig Bourgeois.

Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp and Super Gas all began the arduous task of eliminated down from 100-plus car fields. 

 

THE STICK SHIFT LIFE - Remember the old days of Modified eliminator? The old days when 50-pound flywheels, and Doug Nash transmissions zinged the tachs of various race cars in the 12,000 rpm realm still remain in the hearts of drag racing's raditionalists and gearheads. Modified is no longer with us, but embedded inside of Super Stock and Stock is the spirit of the stick. In this creative video by CompetitionPlus.tv and Les Mayhew, the art of gear-jamming is still alive. Interesting commentary in this video by Ray Pacquet, a lifelong stick racer.

            

 

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - SPECIALTY SHOOTOUTS CONCLUDED ON INDAY'S GRAND STAND 


WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND - Lloyd Wofford Jr., a 64-year old SS/A Hemi racer from Jonesboro, Ark., purchased his first real drag car in 1968. That initial foray into motorsports was with a 1968 Barracuda.

His initial investment came full circle Saturday afternoon when he drove his SS/AH entry to victory over Gus Mantas. Wofford recorded an overkill 8.52 elapsed time.

“I can’t explain it," said Wofford of his monumental victory. "It just goes beyond explanation. We’ve worked so hard – six years, and we finally made it. I’ve got one of the best crews in the world."

Winning class is more than enough for the former Modified Eliminator racer.

“I don’t think I would be any more elated and excited if I won the Super Stock eliminator," said Wofford. "This, to me, is the pinnacle to win the Mopar HEMI Challenge, and in its 15th year."

Winning is one thing, but winning behind the wheel of an iconic Mopar combination is another.

"There’s nothing like a HEMI car," Wofford said. "I would rather drive that car than something faster. I just love a HEMI car – best car ever. This is what started Pro Stock.  When people in the crowd see these 1968 ‘Cudas and 1968 Dodge Darts, it takes them back to 1968 and to racers like Dick Landy, Ronnie Sox, Herb McCandless, you just name them on and on, the HEMI guys that started Pro Stock.

"And that’s what this is all about."

BO KNOWS WINNING - Bo knows Factory Showdown.

Bo knows how to win the Factory Showdown.

For the second time in three 2015 Factory Showdown events, Bo Butner claimed the overall title, this time beating Kevin Skinner on a huge holeshot. Butner scored the win with an 8.953 elapsed time over the supercharged entry driven by Skinner.

Butner has been overwhelmingly successful but adds the success does not make him overconfident.

"I sure as hell can’t take it for granted," admitted Butner. "You get lucky and get to a few finals, but we’re lucky enough to win some. That was where we got lucky because I was outpowered two out of the four runs."

Butner won the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., and finished runner-up at the NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, NJ.

Butner scored a major victory in the semi-finals by taking out low qualifier David Barton in the finals of the naturally aspirated FS/X class. He figured his match with Barton was going to be the end of the line.

"I told my fiancée that something is gonna have to happen so maybe we’re gonna have to pedalfest or something is gonna have to happen to him for us to win," Butner admitted. "That’s actually what happened to both of us.  I thought I left first and I must’ve caught the spin first, but I looked back and thought, 'Holy cow, this guy is coming on me."  

Butner's margin of victory was .0004, roughly one inch at the finish line.

"It was so tight at the finish line that I just didn’t know what to do."

For his part, Skinner earned his final round berth with a holeshot victory over Chris Holbrook.

TATUM TOPS TAD – Maryland-based Tripp Tatum secured the Top Alcohol Dragster provisional No. 1 while John Lombardo’s 5.53 held as No. 1 for Funny Car. There is one final session remaining on Sunday morning with the first round scheduled for later in the afternoon.

 

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK – ALL SPORTSMAN CLASSES NOW UNDERWAY

THE LEADERS - After two sessions, defending NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster champion Duane Shields is the quickest sportsman racer on the grounds at Lucas Oil Raceway following two qualifying sessions at the Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Shields drove his way to the top of the qualifying order with a 5.344 elapsed time at 269.70 miles per hour. Falling into second was Mia Tedesco with a 5.354.

Michael Manners is No. 16 out of 23 entries with a 5.561.

John Lombardo leads the Top Alcohol Funny Cars with a 5.576 elapsed time edging out Steve Harker's 5.586. Swedish standout Jonnie Lindberg was third with a 5.587.

Anchoring the provisional field is Wayne Butler with a 7.145. There are 17 alcohol floppers in competition.

Competition Eliminator completed its qualifying with the B/Nostalgia Dragster of Craig Bourgeois maintaining his top spot with a -.575, 6.975 performance.

PAPA'S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG - Maintaining a Pro Stock operation has a measure of demanding challenges and exhilaration all wrapped up into one experience. When Victor Cagnazzi merged his Pro Stock operation with Johnny Gray's Gray Motorsports, he didn't have to look far for an adrenaline alternative.

Cagnazzi has a stick-shifted Factory Showdown class COPO Camaro.

"This is a lot of fun," said Cagnazzi. "I never would have thought I'd enjoy Stock, and outside of racing in the Factory Showdown, I've had fun running in the divisionals. It has been a blast to take part in."

Before Cagnazzi became a Pro Stock team owner, he raced in Competition Eliminator. These are just like those good old days.

"The most fun part about this is trying to get better," Cagnazzi explained. "You try to get better on the tree, try to shift better and refine your approach. With a stick shift car, it's a challenge racing on a dial in."

Cagnazzi remains involved in Pro Stock, assisting Gray Motorsports in a business capacity.

"I work more on the business side than the performance side," said Cagnazzi. "

Cagnazzi has had an eye on the forthcoming Pro Stock rule changes, and in his opinion he sees a comparison to what he's doing now.

"It relates to the sportsman car in that we are running the same Holley system we have run for three years," said Cagnazzi. "I think anything that can being the costs down is good, and this will do that in time. I think it will result in more participation as time goes on."

IN AWE OF THE BIG GO - David Rampy remembers the first time he attended the NHRA U.S. Nationals.

"I was in awe of the whole atmosphere," Rampy admitted. "I had never been here before and was racing Super Stock. I had so many emotions running through my mind, but not as many today as there were."

Rampy, of Woodland, Ala., said the experience wasn't overwhelming, but it did present a bit of over the top emotions for a driver who would go on to become one of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series' most successful competitors.

"For a small town boy like me, I still couldn't believe I was a part of the program," said Rampy. "All those years I watched and read about the race being the Granddaddy of them all, I found it hard to believe I was a part of it all."

Rampy took a while to find his groove at the Big Go, scoring his first of three wins in 1998 while racing Super Comp. The three-time series champion also added Comp wins in 1999 and 2009.

"It kind of chokes me up to see how far I've been able to come since that weekend in 1986, and to have the success I've had," Rampy said. "I never would have envisioned what it all turned out to be."

FAMILY TRADITION - Troy Coughlin Jr. is pulling double-duty this weekend, first with his JEGS.com Corvette roadster Super Gas car and later with his Pro Modified entry.

The third-gen Coughlin stepped up to the professional ranks earlier this season.

Coughlin is a five-time NHRA national event winner and the first third-generation Coughlin to win a major event. He won the Super Comp title at the 2010 U.S. Nationals.
     
"The more racing I can do, the happier I am," Troy Jr. said. "It would be super cool to defend the Super Gas title and even better to make the U.S. Nationals my first Pro Mod win. It's been a great season so far and I've learned a lot. Now I'm ready to take it up another notch."

The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr., and Troy Jr., has combined for 107 NHRA national event victories since 1990. The Coughlins have won in nine different eliminators: Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Comp, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster.

Collectively, the Coughlin family has won the U.S. Nationals nine times.

TOUGH CHALLENGE - Chris Demke might be the defending Top Alcohol Dragster champion, but he entered the weekend not overly confident.

Demke's performance at his last two races provided a reminder that no matter the number on the wing or amount of Wally trophies in the trophy case, anything can happen when it comes to 3,500-horsepower racecars.

“It was a shock,” Demke said of a first-round loss at the NHRA Northwest Nationals last month. “It was a round we should have won, but we swapped engines after the last round of qualifying and a small bolt didn't get tightened in assembly. It didn't show up in the warm-up, but it certainly got our attention at the one-two shift when it shut the car off. The only thing damaged was our team's ego.”

On the divisional level, he earned his keep with a win at the ensuing NHRA Lucas Oil Western divisional event in Seattle.

“We knew we had to win that race to get any points out of it. Mission accomplished.

“That race was way harder than I expected. After seeing the performance of the West Coast alcohol dragsters at the Woodburn regional, I thought, 'These guys have lost it.' As it turned out, not one round of eliminations was a gimme. Every one of those teams who raced us swung for the fences and connected. If it hadn't been for a total team effort on the Maddern Racing end, the results may not have been as they were."

With 24 Top Alcohol Dragsters entered for the U.S. Nationals, including eight other top 10 drivers in national points, there will be no room for mistakes.

“This race is not going to be easy by any means. The best of the best will be there. We'll just go there and give it our best. Based on how things have gone this year, if we can make it past first round, I'm confident we'll do well. My team knows how to go rounds, and I have every bit of confidence in them. We'll put our best effort forward, because every round matters from here until the World Finals at Pomona.”

THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - OF NEW CHAPTERS, SET FIELDS AND UNCLE ROY'S WILD RIDE 

THE FINAL FOUR - Only four cars remain in the 2015 NHRA U.S. Nationals Factory Stock Showdown. 

David Barton and Bo Butner remain in the battle for naturally aspirated supremacy. 

In the power adder division, Kevin Skinner will meet Chris Holbrook. 

TODAY'S LEADERS - The Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals now has two days in the book.

And, in Competition Eliminator, if you had a dragster, there was a good chance you were at the top of the ladder.

Craig Bourgeois, after two sessions, put his Metarie, La.-based front-engine dragster atop the 55-car field. Bourgeois took the top spot with a 6.975 elapsed time, -0.575 under the B/Nostalgia Dragster index. Falling into second was the A/Dragster Automatic of Mark Kirkman. , Joey Tanksley was third while the Bantam Roadster of Chad Voges was fourth. 

The Stock Eliminator field is set for final eliminations. 

Clay Arnet will lead the 128-car Stock field into Friday's first round courtesy of a -1.412 performance under the 9.90 FS/XX standard. He ran a best 8.488 elapsed time for the top seed. 

Kevin Skinner, also running in FS/XX, was second with an 8.553.

David Barton, the quickest naturally aspirated Factory Showdown car in the top five was third quickest with an 8.804, -1.346 performance. 

Rounding out the top five was the Cobra Jets of Chris Holbrook and Don Fezell. 

Stephen Bell retained his top spot in Super Stock as his -1.182 still leads the division. He ran an 8.468 in his FSS/C 2015 Camaro. Ray Skillman was second quickest with a -1.137 against the FSS/E index. 

Dan Kyle (GT/HA, -1.098), Mike Cotten (SS/JA, -1.092) and Dan Jacobs (GT/G, -1.076) rounded out the top five. 

ON THE BUBBLE - Just how tough was it to make the Stock field? Brett McFarland's FS/B Camaro ran 9.135, -0.865 to earn the final spot in the field. 

CLASS IS IN SESSION - Thursday is Stock Eliminator class eliminations day. 

Once known as the top of the food chain for the Stockers, the traditional A/Stock Shootout attracted only three cars this year. 
Once again, the 2001 Firebird of Caleb McFarland took home the title. 
The three cars entered aside from the Pontiac was a '69 Camaro and '66 Belvedere. 

 

BIG JIM'S NEW ADVENTURE - At 56 years old, Jim Hughes admits he needed a change.

Hughes, for nearly four decades, championed the name of Hughes performance converters and transmissions. Today he has a new direction.

The iconic sportsman racer has sold his interest in the family business and now has a new focus -- operating a drag strip.

Hughes is in the process of finalizing the details this week that will make him the lease operator of Southwest International Raceway, soon to be renamed Tucson Dragway.

"I really don't think or want to classify this as a mid-life crisis," said Hughes. "It's more of a mid-life change. I've been in the converter and transmission business for 38 years. I helped build the Hughes brand and had a chance to get out, and I took it. Looking forward to this new chapter in my life."

The drag strip opportunity wasn't available when Hughes decided to cash out of the family business.

"I really wasn't sure what I was going to do," said Hughes. "I knew I needed to figure out what I was going to do when I grew up! Lol Then I started talking to the folks at IRG and IHRA."

IRG and IHRA, according to Hughes were in the process of closing down the drag strip located inside of Tucson Arizona. Hughes then made contact with former owners Tom Keenan and John Bradford and made inquiries about the availability of the facility that had earlier this year hosted an IHRA Nitro Jam event.

"I elected to take over the continuation of the track's operation," explained Hughes. "They have basically given me the opportunity to save the drag strip. We already had lost Phoenix Raceway Park that closed down, and that hit home hard. That was our hometown, local drag strip I raced at every weekend growing up. I just didn't want to see this one go away, and I figured I'd give it a shot."

Hughes made a call to his close friend Bill Bader as well as other friends and race track owners, who were supportive of him but offered all kinds of negative reasons why he shouldn't. The desire to give back to sportsman drag racing won out.

"Drag racing has been good to me," Hughes said. "I watched other family's raise their kids in the sport, and I watched mine too. I saw how beneficial drag racing was in keeping my kids close as a family. I know there are many families who race together at Southwest Raceway, and I cannot let those bonds be broken. This is my way of giving back to the community and sport. I feel it is my obligation to save another drag strip from closing down."

WHAT GOES UP - Roy Hill learned a valuable lesson Saturday afternoon.

"Put some wheelie bars on the car," Hill said with a smile.

Hill, the former Pro Stock driver who has found a new home in sportsman drag racing, gained an Indy stripe on the side of his Cobra Jet Mustang following a massive wheelstand and an even more massive save during Stock qualifying for the Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

"I think what that showed is just how good the Goodyear tires are now," said Hill. "It also showed how much power we've picked up in this car."

The car Hill is racing in Stock Eliminator is the same one he uses in his drag racing school.

Hill also put on a wheelstand show during Wednesday's preliminary qualifying where he pulled another bumper-dragging display and actually crossed the centerline, and crossing the finish line in the opposite lane.

"I had 200 pounds in the trunk on that run, and took it out because the car was too heavy," Hill admitted. "The car went down straight in Q-2, and we ran a 9.21. This morning we gave it a bit more power."

Hill said on Thursday's run, with the wheels still in the air, he shifted into second gear, a move that nearly had detrimental effects.

"It nearly flipped over at that point," Hill said.
The last photo before Roger Richards bailed from the photo sequence.

In Hill's defense, he added he couldn't simply lift.

"You let out of it ... it slams the car to the ground, and knocks the suspension all out of wack. It could damage the oil pan and all kinds of things. Right now I got some damage to the car, and we have a school scheduled next week."

Hill has withdrawn the car from the event and plans to send it back to his North Carolina shop, where his team will repair the damage and remove the "Indy" stripe.

When asked if a student saw his wild ride and asked a question, Hill smiled and delivered his best instructor's line.

"Do what I tell you to do, not what I do," Hill said.

 

WEDNESDAY NOTEBOOK - WE ARE UNDERWAY AT THE "BIG GO"

GOOD DAY TO BE A FACTORY SHOWDOWN CAR - Day one of qualifying at the Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway Park ended with a pair of Factory Showdown-style cars leading the Super Stock and Stock divisions.

Shreveport, Louisiana's Stephen Bell edged out Ray Skillman for the top spot in Super Stock.

Bell's 015 FSS/C 2015 Camaro ran -1.182 under the 9.65 index to beat out Skillman's -1.137 effort. Skillman, in an FSS/E Cobra Jet Mustang, ran an 8.913. Traditional Super Stock racers Mike Cotten (SS/JA), Jeremy Stock (GT/MA) and Christopher Cour (SS/JA) rounded out the top five spots.

There are 163-entries attempting to qualify for the 128-car Super Stock field.

Engine builder David Barton edged out Chris Holbrook for the top spot in Stock.

Barton, driving a naturally aspirated FS/X 2015 Challenger, edged Holbrooks supercharged Cobra Jet by -.006 with a -.46, 8.804 effort. Clay Arnet, Kevin Skinner and Don Fezell were in the top five spots. Eighteen of the top 0 qualifiers were in Factory Showdown cars.

There are 180 Stock entries attempting to qualify for eight spots.

BRIDGES' LAST INDY - Jimmy Bridges has been racing Super Stock at the NHRA U.S. Nationals for 44 years and says this year will be his last. The Nashville, Tenn.-based driver is racing his stick-shifted, Super Stock/B 1967 Corvette Stingray.

"Super Stock racing has changed a lot for me," admitted Bridges. "The first time we came, we raced with the 1965 Chevelle. Even though we had raced the car locally, that event back in 1972 was the first national event ever for me."

Bridges smiles when he recalls winning class during his inaugural experience.

"Won class 23 times," Bridges added.

The breakdown included six wins with the Chevelle, eight times with a Camaro and ten times with his present car.

"In drag racing, this is our Daytona 500 and our biggest race of the year, there's a lot of prestige in winning this event," explained Bridges. "I think, at almost 76 years old, it's time to call this one my last one."

Bridges said he's already scoped out something else to fill the Labor Day void, and the spare time he will be filled with something motorsports related.

"We'll be at the local circle tracks close to home," Bridges confirmed. "We do carburetors and some motors, cylinder heads, and we make a spacer that is the only one that fits the track's rules."

Bridges says his Corvette will go up for sale this winter.

"If we come back, we will either be in a Chevelle or an '85 Mustang," Bridges said.

BREAK ON THROUGH - Sadie Floyd is experiencing racing on the other side. Floyd, a public relations representative for WinLight Communications, a Nashville-based firm representing NHRA professional teams, is racing a Super Comp dragster owned by Randi Lyn Shipp this weekend.

Floyd learned as a child the aura of racing at the U.S. Nationals.

"To make my debut at Indy is really a big deal for me and my family," said Floyd. "My dad always talked about Indy when I was growing up, and to race there for my first national event - crazy! A lot of racers only dream of getting opportunities to race at the U.S. Nationals, and I can't thank Randi Lynn Shipp and Bo Butner enough. I hope to make them proud."

Floyd is one of 110 entries this weekend in the Super Comp division. However, fighting the odds is nothing new to Floyd, who has been drag racing since she was 10. She is an Acute lymphoblasticleukemia (A.L.L) survivor and declared cancer-free at the age of six.
 
Floyd earned her Top Alcohol Dragster license in Jerry Darien's nitro-infused A/Fueler on Halloween in 2013. Her license was signed by Joey Severance, Mike Strasburg, and Jim Whiteley.

As challenging as Top Alcohol Dragster is, she understands this weekend's Super Comp competition provides a different challenge.
 
"Super Comp is a real competitive class, and I've been doing what I can as a driver to keep sharp and show the competition what I've got at Indy," said Floyd, "The best of the best is at Indy, and I think with my experience and the experience from the Butner's camp, we should have some really good races ahead of us.  This truly is a chance of a lifetime."

FADED NITRO MEMORIES - To Jim Bailey, his days of racing Top Fuel are a distant memory.

Bailey, who once drove a second dragster for Doug Herbert on the IHRA series, races at a much slower pace with his AA/Stock Automatic 1965 Belvedere.

"That's what I consider a long time ago when I was in my youth," Bailey said with a smile. "I really have no desire to go back there, and really enjoy what I am doing now."

While the average racer or fan might not agree, Bailey believes the exhilaration of racing a Stocker can replace the thrill of Top Fuel. At least in his mind, it can.

"I believe so," Bailey said. "You really get into the challenge of it all and try to push yourself to see how far you can take it with the mechanics of the car and the rule parameters you are given. Then, of course, there's the challenge of maintaining your driving skills."

Bailey, who hasn't raced fuel in almost 15 years, isn't sure he's fully adjusted to the difference in racing demands between the two styles of drag racing.

"It's just you and your car, as opposed to a paid crew and crew chief," Bailey said. "Both a Top Fuel car and Stocker have variables. You just do the best you can to keep them all under control. I don't think it ever ends."

Bailey admitted the car he's racing this weekend was part of a bucket list when he decided to walk away from a Top Fuel career that yielded nine IHRA national event titles.

"I had built an raced a Max Wedge car for ten years," Bailey said. "I told my wife after I had raced the last race with that car, 'I'm not done racing, but I am done with this car."

Bailey made a bucket list of cars he's like to own and race after selling the classic Mopar.

"This is one of the cars and found it down in Louisiana," said Bailey.

DOUBLE-DIPPING - Marvin Benoit admits the lines sometimes get blurred.

Benoit, the founder of Quick Fuel Technology, a leading manufacturer of carburetors, loves to drag race but wonders sometimes if he's doing it for product development or because he enjoys the challenge of racing.

"It's always fun to be out here racing, and with you friends in Indy," said Benoit.

Benoit has five cars in competition this weekend, and he's racing two of them.

One of the two cars he's driving, a 27 T Roadster nicknamed "Baby" was debuted at the NHRA U.S. Nationals 25 years ago.

"Still the original paint," Benoit boasted, pointing to the roadster painted in the QFT red, white and black company colors.

Benoit founded QFT 18 years ago when he found himself on the outside of a Holley downsizing. The parent company of Holley, HPI, purchased QFT in 2012.

Understanding what makes carburetors work better is what intrigues Benoit.

"I guess I am out here, learning how to make our product better yet still trying to win races," Benoit said. "The racing is part of your lifestyle, and in there it all incorporates work. You can combine your passions, racing and making your product better."