MORE PRESEASON PEEKS: MANNING INSPIRES FORCE, BROWN LEADS PARADE, CRAMPTON SAYS SPIRITS HIGH AT MORGAN LUCAS RACING, FIREADE DOUSES MORGAN’S MOMENTUM, ALLEN JOHNSON OPTIMISTIC AFTER EFI TESTING, COUGHLIN BACK IN THE MIX, SCHUMACHER MAKS 16TH YEAR WITH THE ARMY, MAYBE KALITTA WILL SAVE TALK FOR AWARDS DINNER, FERRÉ GETS FUNDING, BALDWIN FOLLOWS IN FAMILY’S FOOTSTEPS

As drag racers prepare to kick off the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and usher in a supercharged FOX Network TV package this weekend at the Circle K Winternationals, Competition Plus caught up with some of them.  

MANNING INSPIRES FORCE - Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos, inspired winless former high-school quarterback John Force this past Sunday.

“Peyton Manning, I just extended my career because of you. I swore if Peyton Manning wins this thing, I ain’t gonna think about quitting. I said, ‘If he wins this, I’m taking retirement off the table.’ ” 16-time Funny Car champion Force told Competition Plus. “I never said retirement to anybody, but I said, ‘If he can pull this thing out, with people around him that love him and fight for him, then I’m going to stay in the game.’

“It was cool – he talked about his defense carrying him,” Force said. “My boys [crew] carried me over the last two years.”

Force said he had been considering driving for just three more years: “I never said it, but I was thinking it. Now I’m going– who knows? – till it gets ugly. People ask me, ‘Haven’t you won enough?!’ No. I never will win enough.”

BROWN LEADS PARADE - Mathematicians can figure it out more accurately. But a rough calculation is that for a quarter-mile run, Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars use between 10 and 12 gallons of fuel for a complete pass, including the burnout and backup to the starting line. An even rougher estimate is that with 1,000-foot passes, and approximately 10 gallons of fuel per run, a nitro-powered car would get about 11 (conservative four-second) runs from two 55-gallon drums of fuel. That’s about 44 seconds to burn the contents of two 55-gallon barrels of fuel.

Current Top Fuel champion Antron Brown discovered this offseason that it takes only slightly longer to empty two 55-gallon drums of candy. In conjunction with the Town of Brownsburg, Ind.’s annual Christmas Under The Stars Parade and Light Show, Brown and his Matco Tools/Toyota/Army Dragster crew and his family celebrated their second NHRA title in four seasons by riding in the procession. They wore their team shirts and Santa hats and handed out two 55-gallons drums’ worth of candy to the children in the crowd.

Brown said he traveled “slower than I’ve probably ever driven.” But he said he didn’t mind: “I wanted to take as much time as I can to thank all of our fans in Brownsburg for supporting our Matco Tools team that helped us win the NHRA world championship. Everybody loves racing in Indiana. It’s just a sports culture. They understand what’s going on. It was a cool experience. I couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate our championship than to do it in Brownsburg.”

That makes Brown the second high-profile motorsports champion and Pittsboro, Ind., heralded in a parade there this past year. Recently retired NASCAR star Jeff Gordon, who long has claimed Pittsboro his hometown, was feted at a parade there, too.

Even sweeter for Brown than that stash of candy and sharing it with his neighbors is returning this weekend to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif., for the Circle K Winternationals and the start of the 2016 season.

The goal is to earn another title, this time scoring back-to-back championships, and in Brown’s words, “make more history” and “run for records.” He said, “The formula hasn’t changed but to repeat, we have to evolve and get even better. Everybody else in the class has made adjustments to improve, and that’s what we’re striving to do. We have to be just as efficient but even quicker. In this age, you have to be the quickest and most efficient. That’s where the level is at in this class. We just have to keep on pushing to try and make more history. It takes a whole team to have that strong competitive drive, and that’s what makes our team so special. Each team member keeps everyone in check, and that’s what it takes to be successful.”

He has faith in his Don Schumacher Racing-housed team. “When you assemble all the same people together who share [a] passion, that’s when you can make unbelievable things a reality,” Brown said. “As a team, we’re ready to defend this title. We have a little building to do, but that will come in time. It’s important to get back on that same jell level. To see how we grew last year, it was very exciting. Brian and Mark [crew chiefs Corradi and Oswald] were planning to peak at the right time, and we just kept getting better and better. We grew throughout the whole year and capitalized on that when we got to the Countdown. To win seven races and as many rounds as we did with the competition level in this class, it was just phenomenal.”

After about three months off and a successful test session at Phoenix this past weekend, Brown said, “It’s always extra exciting to start the season because you have so much time off. You want to see all the work in the offseason come to fruition.And hopefully we are ready to go out there and pick up where we left off. With all the buzz from the fans on social media that I’ve seen, people are ready to go back out to the races. It’s always great going back to Pomona, because it’s a historic place for our sport. Plus, we know that we can throw down there and go and run for records.”

He might be spending a record amount of time on the road for February. He flew home briefly following the preseason testing at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. But now that he’s in Pomona, he’ll be away from home for three weeks, attending the Matco Tools EXPO at Las Vegas then the Chicago Auto Show for Toyota before returning to Phoenix for the Carquest Auto Parts Nationals, the second of 24 races on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour.

“Through the years, that’s the one thing you learn, how to balance everything, make sure you get back home, make sure you get time with the family,” Brown said. Wife Billie Jo is with him at the Winternationals, but they’re still making up for being apart on their 15th wedding anniversary. That happened to fall on Wednesday, Feb. 3, the first day of preseason testing at Phoenix.

SPIRITS HIGH, MORALE UP: CRAMPTON - Lucas Oil Dragster driver Richie Crampton, who hasn’t completely ditched his crew-member status, said "continued improvement” is the motto this season, his third behind the wheel at Morgan Lucas Racing. And the car can’t go wrong – it has had a massage.

"We're going to focus on every little part of the car, and I'm going to try to continue to learn and ask questions and grow as a driver. I think our 2016 season is going to be fruitful, given the team I have and the confidence I'm carrying with me into the year,” he said. “It was a very busy but very fun offseason. Spirits were high and morale is up. Everyone went over their given area of the car, massaging on it here and there. The confidence we have in knowing we have a really competitive race car and package made for a pretty exciting winter."

Crampton won five times in 2015 and finished third in the final standings, which, he said, “created a huge amount of excitement and really boosted our confidence even more. This team is capable of doing that, so it was great to execute and finish No. 3 and mix it up with the best in the world." Ultimately, finishing third, to that team, only means two others finished better. So they’ll be looking right away to improve on their performance.

"I feel like I gathered more consistency on race day as a driver, which I believe definitely helped us win races,” Crampton said. “Morgan Lucas Racing has a great group that Morgan has assembled over the past nine years, and they continue to get better and better. The flow of the team between rounds is fantastic, and it showed by the performance of the car. We didn't have silly mistakes from the crew, and I just tried to become a better, more well-rounded, driver. That's really what stands out to me as to why we had more success this [past] season."

He still is excited about his move from clutch expert to driver of the team’s flagship car.

"Every time I get to put on my firesuit and compete in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, it's what I wanted my whole life," Crampton said. "It's still huge for me to be able to drive for such a good team and compete with the best Top Fuel drivers in the world. The fact that I've staked my claim in the top five Top Fuel teams is what I've always wanted. It's fantastic.”

But he said, "I've almost a little bit of the first-time jitters back. I'm anxious to get it going and get that first event under way and put some runs on the board. That's the feeling right now.”

FIREADE DOUSES MORGAN'S MOMENTUM - Despite Pro Stock veteran Larry Morgan’s enthusiastic endorsements for marketing partner FireAde at every turn last season and his promotion of FireAde to the NHRA and its Safety Safari, the sponsor took its business to Bob Vandergriff Racing and will be a primary sponsor on Leah Pritchett’s dragster for selected races this campaign, including the season-opener.

“When you think of B2B and creating opportunities, I kept hearing one name, Bob Vandergriff and BVR,” Ron Thames, owner of Fire Service Plus which makes the Fireade product, said. “Since creating this partnership, our company has already had doors opened for us at both the retail level and in the oil fields sector. I'm looking forward to growing this program, and we're off to great start already.”

But that means Morgan isn’t.

Morgan said Monday in a prepared statement: “We are currently involved in securing additional sponsorship so we can continue our efforts in being a viable contender in Pro Stock. We were notified Feb. 3 by our 2015 major sponsor that they would not be able to support us like they had previously, so we have had to plan a different strategy at LMR for 2016. Along with securing additional sponsorship for our race team, our other objective is to concentrate on our custom CNC machine shop. I have not missed a Pomona race since 1984 and definitely want to continue that streak. We went to three finals last year and won two races, and I believe it’s not the size of the man in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the man. I know I still have one good fight left in me, so don't count me out.”

Vandergriff said he and Thames started talking last October, “discussing ways we could work together. We're both excited we were able to put together a program that will benefit both sides, they make a great product and it's been very well received at every level we've introduced it to."

JOHNSON HOPEFUL AFTER FLORIDA TESTING - Allen Johnson had two hurdles to leap after he won the season finale at Pomona, Calif., last November: finalizing a sponsorship deal to replace the long-running one he had with Mopar, then figuring out how to react to technical mandates the NHRA handed down for 2016 and beyond.

His car is branded the Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Dodge Dart, for he came to terms with his business partner, of sorts. Johnson owns Greenville Oil and Petroleum, 37 Quick Stop Markets and three Lube X-Press oil-change facilities which carry the Marathon brand. (Bill McCleave, MPC brand marketing director, said, “We’re pleased to have this opportunity to partner with Allen and his proven record of success, both on the track and in our industry. Allen and his racing team strongly compliment the Marathon brand, and we’re proud to be aligned with such a great role model and champion in this sport.”) So that was one hurdle cleared.

Then at Bradenton, Fla., last week, Johnson jumped the other hurdle. They tested at Bradenton Motorsports Park, trying to get a handle on the new Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) system the NHRA instituted for the class. He said they made progress, although he admitted he still isn’t quite sure what to expect as the season unfolds.
 
“We started out very, very conservative in testing,” Johnson said. “Our team worked our way through the process and we’re just trying to learn this new EFI. We had to make a few bad moves to learn that they were bad moves. I feel like we’re homing in on it. I think about mid-season we may be back to as fast as we were last year, but I’m not sure. We’ll all continue to change the motors around, change tire sizes, and adjust gear ratios to try to optimize each run.”

The positive news, even with uncertainty hanging over his head as he prepares for Circle K Winternationals qualifying Friday at Auto Club Raceway, is that the rest of the class still is working to incorporate EFI, too.

“All these guys in Pro Stock, including our team, are really smart. You can bet everybody will be trying everything and we’ll be right there doing it with them,” he said.

HE'S BAAAACK! - One of the motivating factors at last November’s NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif., was the distinction of being the last to win a Pro Stock race with a carbureted car. This Valentine’s Day, the sweetheart deal every Pro Stock racer wants is winning the first race with EFI in the mix. And Jeg Coughlin just couldn’t resist being in the middle of that battle.

The six-time NHRA champion and 76-time national-event winner will return to full-time competition this weekend at the Circle K NHRA Winternationals. He’ll race the hot-off-the-press Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dart for Elite Motorsports.

Coughlin got in three races last summer with Richard Freeman’s team and was runner-up in August at the Northwest Nationals at Seattle. So he’ll burst out of the gate as one of the championship contenders. But he said it has taken a lot of effort by his crew to help make that so.

"Nick Ferri, Jake Hairston, Lump (Brian Self), and the rest of the guys at the Elite shop have been working around the clock to get us up to speed for Pomona," Coughlin said. "We've burned a fair amount of midnight oil to get ourselves fully prepared for the race and the season ahead.

"Having that opportunity to run the three races last year with Elite has really turned out to be beneficial to this new deal," Coughlin said. "At the time, there were no discussions of racing together in 2016 and we had nothing going with Mopar until much later in the year. But having worked together during that time, it made this transition much easier, he said.

"It's a super-exciting time with our new partnership with Mopar and the sport turning a new chapter with FOX that will really push us all upward. I'm ready to get started," he said.

Coughlin stayed active in drag racing, despite his hiatus from the Pro Stock class. He recorded his first national event "double" with victories in Super Gas and Stock at the JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals at Columbus, Ohio, near his home in suburban Delaware, Ohio.

He’ll be teammates at Elite with reigning and two-time champion Erica Enders, 2015 rookie of the year Drew Skillman, and young hot shoe Vincent Nobile. Skillman and Nobile will drive Chevrolets, and Enders will be in a Dart.

"There's a lot going on in Pro Stock and a lot of the teams are outside their comfort zone with the new rules. I think it's exciting to gain new, younger fans with the more production-type finish and appearance of these cars. And the mentality of everyone at Elite is that we are fired up for the massive challenge this year will bring. Like they say, only the strong will survive," Coughlin said.

ARMY TEAM PROUD TO SERVE AS AMBASSADORS - Tony Schumacher and his son this past week watched the movie “13 Hours,” about the account of incidents at Benghazi in Libya. And as he spoke with his son about what they saw on the big screen, the Top Fuel driver once again marveled at the privilege it is to be associated with what he called “the greatest team anybody’s ever been asked to represent for a career full of awesome moments.”   

Schumacher is stating his 16th season representing the U.S. Army with the Don Schumacher racing Top Fuel program.

“Every time I see a movie about sacrifice and dedication and I hear stories about what these guys do,” Schumacher said, “I don’t want to be anywhere else, ever.”

Success, the eight-time series champion said, is “not just the wins at the racetrack. The people I have met have been a blessing in every way, every shape, and every form. Watching the movie, it was cool being able to explain to my son that I know half these people. Half these guys I’ve crossed paths with. If I don’t know this one, I know about what they do. I know where they’ve trained and the effort they’ve put in. It is unbelievable what they do, and to be able to represent them and to be part of a team so great . . . What else can you ask for? And then, to go out and win for them, to share trophies and share time with them, to share moments, it’s just fantastic.”

‘SPEECH!’ MAYBE KALITTA IS SAVING TALK FOR BANQUET - Doug Kalitta’s best-known characteristic is that he isn’t usually an overly chatty fellow. But the driver of the Mac Tools Dragster wouldn’t be opposed to making a speech at the NHRA’s year-end awards dinner. With 18 consecutive top-10 finishes, the Ann Arbor, Mich., businessman-racer is ready to post that first Top Fuel championship to bookend the USAC Sprint Car title he earned more than 20 years ago.

Last season, Kalitta defeated Tony Schumacher in the final at Houston, giving the class a sixth different winner in as many events. A dominant performance at Norwalk, Ohio, came after starting No. 1 and despite having to change the engine three times before the last pass during a quick live-TV turn-around schedule. But he won that one, too. His final victory of the season was at last fall’s Las Vegas event, in the Breast Cancer Awareness Mac Tools Dragster. That race also had its share of struggles, either as a Saturday morning chassis change resulted in a bottom-half qualifying effort. Kalitta dug from that early disadvantage to become the lowest qualifier to win a Top Fuel race last season.

Regarded by many as the best Top Fuel driver without a title to his credit, Kalitta has reeled off his best three-season run since the early 2000s with three straight top-five finishes. He could get that monkey off his back this year, thanks in part to a new in-house chassis in the offseason and added manufacturer support and funding from Toyota and Toyota Racing Development (TRD).

Kalitta worked out his new parts at last weekend’s testing at Phoenix and said afterward, “I am excited to get this season started. I think the Mac Tools team has everything in place for a great complete season. I am ready to get to Pomona and see what we have.”

He’s the 2009 Winternationals winner and has started No. 1 at this event four times, most recently in 2014.

TAD’S MIERSCH SIGNS TWO SPONSORS FOR FERRE - Cameron Ferré, who had a successful Top Alcohol dragster season for Miersch Racing in 2015, has new sponsor American Plastic Technologies and returning marketing partner Racepak Data Systems as he gears up with new parts for the 2016 season.

"I couldn't be happier to join forces with APT,” Ferré said. “We developed a B2B relationship through some projects started over at Racepak, and it blossomed into something greater. I know firsthand that APT manufactures the highest quality polyurethane parts in the business for various industries such as automotive aftermarket, OEM, off road, military, medical, and the oil industry. With over 30 years of industry experience that alone speaks volumes for the quality of the products APT produces. It is an honor to represent APT and Racepak together on one car this year. I hope to help them develop more great business relationships within NHRA drag racing."

Ferré said, "I think as a team we are ready to turn it up a notch and build off of last year's progress. I have all the faith in my team, with Larry's [Miersch’s] turning ability alongside the marketing partners who have supported us, I cannot wait to get in the car and march down the race track." He was the highest ranked part-time driver in the 2015 national standings.

The Huntington Beach, Calif., resident will be back at his home racetrack.

SECOND-GEN BALDWIN MAKING TAD DEBUT AT POMONA - Krista Baldwin, daughter of the late Top Fuel racer Bobby Baldwin and granddaughter of Top Fuel veteran and NHRA’s oldest racer Chris Karamesines, will make her A/Fuel Dragster debut this weekend at the Circle K WinterNationals. She will drive Anthony Dicero’s Nitro University Dragster in the Top Alchohol Dragster with McLeod Racing livery at Pomona.

“We have the mindset to win, and that’s what we’re going to do this weekend. We made some test passes last weekend in Phoenix, and we are ready to hit the ground running for the 2016 season. This has already been an awesome year, and it’s just getting started. Krista and I make a great team and we both are excited for what’s to come next,” car owner / crew chief Dicero said.

A few years ago, Dicero began Nitro University, which gives people the chance to earn their A/Fuel license or learn to work on the car. The university offers a variety of classes throughout the drag racing season. Last year Dicero licensed at least a dozen individuals, including Baldwin, in his A/Fuel Dragster. Dicero and Baldwin met last year during the 4-Wide race at Charlotte, and the two hit off right away and believed they can make a successful partnership.

It helped that Baldwin, a recent graduate of Northern Arizona University, is no stranger to the sport because of her pedigree.

Her grandfather, “The Greek,” as Karamesines is known fondly, was the first to break the 200-mph barrier, in 1960, at Alton, Ill. At a reported age 83, he is the oldest active Top Fuel dragster driver.  Baldwin’s father, Bobby, also drove his own Top Fuel dragster from the late 1980s until his unexpected passing in 2001. Baldwin was a local racer at Pomona – he grew up just on the other side of the hill from the Los Angeles County Fairplex grounds. His memory lives at his home track as his friends and family celebrate “Bobby Baldwin Day” on Fridays at every Pomona national event. Krista Baldwin said she is keeping his memory alive as she drives this weekend in Top Alcohol Dragster category.

“When I get into that dragster and I make a pass down the quarter mile, I feel like I am living both his dream and mine. It’s a surreal feeling getting to drive a nitro car. Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to drive. It’s awesome being able to make my first race at my home track in Pomona with all my family and friends. I’m so excited to share this experience with them,” she said. “I have some great people backing me this weekend on the sponsorship, and I’ll remember this weekend for the rest of my life.”

Baldwin has funding from McLeod Racing, Clevite, CP Carillo, Lucas Oil, TBM Brakes, Shelton’s Poultry, Nitro University, PXP Race Wear, and HK’s Bar and Grill.

 

 

 

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