:::::: News ::::::

FINAL ROUND PHOTOS FROM BRAINERD

Sunday's final results from the 27th annual Lucas Oil NHRA
Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. The race is the 16th of 24 in the
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

 

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Top Fuel -- Tony Schumacher, 3.865 seconds, 310.05 mph def. Cory McClenathan,
3.900 seconds, 306.74 mph.

ROUND-BY-ROUND PRO RESULTS FROM BRAINERD

Final round-by-round results from the 27th annual Lucas Oil NHRA
Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, the 16th of 24 events in
the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Rod Fuller, 3.942, 306.46 def.
Brandon Bernstein, foul; Morgan Lucas, 3.926, 298.21 def. Antron Brown,
4.234, 247.47; Doug Kalitta, 3.972, 305.22 def. Doug Herbert, 3.980,
280.66; J.R. Todd, 3.964, 289.07 def. Larry Dixon, 3.970, 304.39; Tony
Schumacher, 3.900, 309.70 was unopposed; Cory McClenathan, 3.897,
309.84 def. Luigi Novelli, 11.368, 84.36; Steve Torrence, 3.887, 307.16
def. Hillary Will, 3.993, 305.56; Bob Vandergriff, 3.910, 310.70 def.
David Grubnic, 3.989, 276.86;

QUARTERFINALS -- Kalitta, 3.968, 303.91 def. Todd, 4.980,
157.74; Schumacher, 3.920, 306.46 def. Fuller, 3.982, 301.07;
McClenathan, 3.939, 304.74 def. Vandergriff, 4.296, 245.40; Torrence,
3.885, 307.72 def. Lucas, 3.925, 302.35;

SEMIFINALS -- Schumacher, 3.885, 310.13 def. Kalitta, 4.222, 229.90; McClenathan, 3.951, 305.36 def. Torrence, 7.992, 78.90;

FINAL -- Schumacher, 3.865, 310.05 def. McClenathan, 3.900, 306.74.

MS. FORCE DELIVERS FOR FAN

Ashley Force raced to her second career No. 1 qualifying position in
as many events during the 28th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at
Brainerd International Raceway and a drag racing fan is really happy
for her.

The 25 year old sophomore driver for John Force Racing
was the quickest of the field and for her efforts Tami Carey of Hugo,
Minn., won a new Whirlpool washer and dryer as part of the BrandSource
“Win with Force” promotion. At sixteen select events during the 2008
POWERade Drag Racing Series when any one of the four John Force Racing
Funny Cars qualifies No 1 at the event one lucky winner wins a
Whirlpool washer and dryer set.

SUNDAY BRAINERD PAIRINGS


First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 27th
annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, the
16th of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings
based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below
pairings.

Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 3.864 seconds, 312.21 mph vs.
Bye; 2. Steve Torrence, 3.869, 308.00 vs. 15. Hillary Will, 4.546,
177.07; 3. Cory McClenathan, 3.877, 311.77 vs. 14. Luigi Novelli,
4.204, 269.13; 4. Larry Dixon, 3.899, 306.88 vs. 13. J.R. Todd, 4.027,
273.11; 5. Doug Herbert, 3.901, 306.60 vs. 12. Doug Kalitta, 4.013,
297.61; 6. David Grubnic, 3.910, 306.19 vs. 11. Bob Vandergriff, 3.988,
290.88; 7. Antron Brown, 3.929, 306.19 vs. 10. Morgan Lucas, 3.984,
300.80; 8. Rod Fuller, 3.933, 308.71 vs. 9. Brandon Bernstein, 3.972,
303.16.

BRAINERD FINAL QUALIFYING

SCHUMACHER SEEKING FOURTH CONSECUTIVE VICTORY FROM NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITION AT LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS
 
Ashley Force, Greg Anderson and Matt Smith also claim No. 1 qualifying positions at Brainerd International Raceway
 

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Tony Schumacher will attempt to win his fourth consecutive race and ninth overall Sunday from the No. 1 qualifying position.

Tony
Schumacher will attempt to win his fourth consecutive race and ninth
overall Sunday from the No. 1 qualifying position at the Lucas Oil NHRA
Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.
 
Ashley Force, Greg Anderson and Matt Smith also were No. 1 qualifiers
and will lead their respective categories into Sunday's 11 a.m.
eliminations at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event, the 16th of
18 events in the Countdown to 10, NHRA's regular season. The Countdown
to 1, NHRA's six-race championship playoffs, begin Sept. 11-14 at zMax
Dragway at Concord near Charlotte, N.C.

SUSPECTED KIDNEY STONE AILS SMITH

Pro
Stock Motorcycle rider Matt Smith didn't feel like doing much after
scoring his third top qualifying effort of the season. The defending
world champion said he wanted to sit in some water, preferably at a
local hospital, and get rid of what he considers to be a kidney stone
ailing him.

FORCE HEADED TO MOTORSPORTS H.O.F. OF AMERICA

The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America will
expand its honor roll by seven at its 20th annual Induction Ceremony on
Wednesday, August 13, 2008, at the Fillmore Detroit.

The class of 2008 includes drag racing king John Force (presenter: Tom
Compton), open-wheel racing champion Michael Andretti (presenter: Mario
Andretti), NASCAR great Buddy Baker (presenter: Humpy Wheeler), sports
car champion Richie Ginther (presenter: E. Forbes-Robinson), motorcycle
hero Wayne Rainey (accepting for Mr. Rainey: Roger Edmondson), aerobatic
pilot Betty Skelton (presenter: Patty Wagstaff), and one of America's
most versatile competitors, Paul Goldsmith (presenter: Donald Davidson).

Legendary Indy car team owner Carl Haas will also be recognized as the
ninth recipient of the Bob Russo Heritage Award for his significant
contribution to American motorsports.

WORSHAM'S LUCK CHANGER?

At this point in the 2008 championship battle, Del Worsham is open to any and all suggestions, even if 0832-02243.jpgthey are out of the normal. The latest suggestion no longer has him seeing red, but rather black and white.

Although other teams have recently gone to a bare carbon fiber shell
with minimal vinyl logos in an effort to save weight, Worsham and his
team are taking a different approach and are doing so for a different
reason, and most of them will agree it's simply superstitious.   
Rather than adhere the vinyl panels to a car painted in a base coat of
red, Worsham has devised a new "look" for his car's vinyl that is based
solely on shades of gray, and those sheets of vinyl have then been
applied to the bare shell.  The reason?  The current red and white
design has not won a race since it became the official design for the
team in 2006, yet this particular body has a win under its belt, when
it was covered in K&N Filters colors earlier this season in Houston.

HARRIS WINS SECOND PIEDMONT DRAGWAY BIG DOG EVENT

For the second time in five-month Big Dog career, Jason Harris hoisted
the famous canine shaped trophy in Piedmont Dragway's winner circle
last evening.

Harris, son of Big Dog founder Bob Harris, used an even mixture of
starting line quickness, a consistent car and a measure of good luck to
score his latest Big Dog win of 2008. Harris fended off the incredibly
tough Ronnie Gardner in the final round. Both drivers yielded 4.257
elapsed times.
 
Qualifying 6th in the 8-car main event, Harris used a Rick
Jones-fabricated GTO and a Billy Albert-assembled 632-inch engine, the
smallest motor in the field, to record a 4.26 elapsed time at 171mph in
arguably the tightest Big Dog field of the year.

BOGGS JOINS LEWIS FAMILY TAD TEAM

NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver Brandon ‘The Kid’ Lewis and the Lewis
Family Racing team have retained the services of legendary tuner Steve
Boggs for the remainder of the 2008 season.  Boggs was available after
Top Fuel racer Morgan Lucas disbanded his A/Fuel team.  Team owner Dave
Lewis quickly took advantage of the opportunity to hire Boggs, who is
considered by many to be one of the greatest tuners in the history of
the sport.  The TigerFlow Systems/Morrison Construction backed A/Fuel
Dragster team debuted with Boggs in their corner during this weekend’s
Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn.
 
Lewis, 22, of Broken Arrow, Okla., is excited about getting to race
under the direction of Boggs.  Boggs’ tuning résumé includes tuning
Mitch Myers’ A/Fuel Dragster to a World Championship in 2004, along
with tuning Joe Penland and Tony Bartone to World Championships in Top
Alcohol Funny Car.  Lucas ran a 5.16 second elapsed time last year
under the direction of Boggs, which is the quickest run by an A/Fuel
Dragster at 96% nitro.  He also has numerous other national records to
his credit.

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