Monday's final results from the 29th annual Summit Racing Equipment
NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. The race is the sixth of 24
in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

John Force was a little confused but he knew what he wanted to say.

The 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion wanted to say thanks to the owners
of Atlanta Dragway for improving a track that used to provide what he
described as “a gut ache” every time he watched his daughter make a run
down the strip located in Commerce, Ga.

Mike Edwards has learned that when it rains it pours. At least that’s how it works for his Pro Stock team.

Edwards drove to his first NHRA Full Throttle victory of the 2009
season in stopping Jeg Coughlin Jr. in a rain-delayed NHRA Southern
Nationals final round.
 
The former sportsman world champion has earned four No. 1 qualifying
positions in six races this season, yet hasn’t made his way past the
second round in those events.

However, let it rain and Edwards has become a sure bet to reach the final round.

“It doesn’t matter if you win on Sunday or Monday … it’s an
unbelievable challenge to win (a Pro Stock race). You can’t make a
mistake and win in this class,” Edwards said.

Warm weather, high winds, and intense drag racing took over Auto Club
Dragway at Auto Club Speedway as nearly 400 racers from across the
nation were condensed into nine winners.  Competitors have battled it
out since Friday to earn a chance at receiving the coveted NHRA Wally
trophy at the JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals presented by K&N. Due to
extreme weather conditions and in the best interest of safety, the
decision was made to reduce racing to the 1/8th mile late Sunday
morning.

Lucas Oil’s Thomas Bayer from right here in Fontana, Calif., captured
his second national event win of the year defeating fellow Lucas Oil
teammate Jack Freckman of Woodacre, Calif.  It was a family affair in
the Super Gas final with defending NHRA Division 7 Champ Hollis
Colleasure of San Dimas, Calif. taking out his son-in-la w Brad Pierce,
Riverside, Calif.

Some winners remain undecided headed into Monday at the NHRA Summit Racing Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga..

Rain
halted Pro Stock after just one pair in the first round, they were
scheduled to complete their final later in the day, but rain returned
after the other three Pro finals had been completed, forcing them to
wait an additional day.

Eddie Krawiec finally put an embarrassing stat to rest Sunday evening during the Pro Stock Motorcycle final round at the NHRA Summit Southern Nationals in Atlanta Dragway.

The Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson-sponsored, Vance & Hines rider
from Brownsburg, Ind., was the only NHRA Full Throttle world champion
in competition who had not won a national event title. Krawiec’s
victory over rookie NHRA rider Douglas Horne returns 1970s Top Fuel
racer Rob Bruins as the only winless world champion.

Jack Beckman will admit his NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals Funny Car title took his breath away – literally.

Beckman knocked off the No. 1 qualifying Ashley Force Hood in the final
round. Force was seeking to defend the title she'd won at this event
last season.

That’s not a bad feat considering he couldn’t half breathe and half see during the rain-delayed, night time run.

Morgan Lucas described it as the longest 75 feet of his life.

Lucas drove to his first career Top Fuel national event title at the
rain-plagued NHRA Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at
Atlanta Dragway, defeating rookie Spencer Massey in a pedalfest. His
Geico Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster shed the blower belt sixty feet
shy of the finish line and coasted to the victory.

After enduring multiple rain delays, Morgan Lucas defeated Spencer
Massey in a thrilling pedal-fest to win the Top Fuel title at the 29th
annual Summit Racing NHRA Summer Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.

The
other winners at the sixth of 24 races in the NHRA Full Throttle Series
season were Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock
Motorcycle). Pro Stock was postponed by rain with Jeg Coughlin and
Jason Line scheduled to meet in the final round Monday morning.

It took Lucas five years and five final-round appearances to get his
first win so waiting out the five hours of rain delays was only a minor
hurdle. The 26-year old Lucas pedaled his GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil
dragster to a 5.231 at 162.86 to narrowly beat the 27-year old Massey’s
tire-spinning 5.418 at 145.25 in his U.S. Smokeless dragster.

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the
29th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta
Dragway, the sixth of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series -