Steve
Torrence made a quick return to the Top Fuel ranks. He hadn't driven
since November of 2006 when he ran in Friday's first session. (Roger
Richards)

Steve Torrence was sitting at his home, eating dinner with his wife
when the phone rang. It was Dexter Tuttle asking if he’d like to drive
a Top Fuel dragster again.

“I had told her that I was just going to put it in God’s hands and
leave it alone,” Torrence said. “I just kind of put it on the back
burner and went on with life. Short of going to every race, I didn’t
know what else to do.”

Torrence said the prayer was the best thing he could have done.

Ohio Crankshaft racer Scott Ray got crossed up at the launch and spun
completely around two times, yet somehow Ray managed to keep the car
from hitting anything and he's ready to continue the race.

Citing crew chief Austin Coil, who has contended that a shorter
racetrack will have little, if any, effect on the competition at this
week's 29th annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals, John Force said Thursday
that while he is keeping an open mind toward other alternatives, he
"would have no problem racing to 1,000 feet for the rest of my career."
 
Force's comments came on the heels of the NHRA's decision to contest
Funny Car and Top Fuel championships on a Bandimere Speedway track 320
feet short of the standard quarter mile distance.
 
Responding to the accident earlier this month that claimed the life of
two-time World Champion Scott Kalitta, NHRA officials felt that
reducing the length of the race course was the best short term response
to concerns about stopping distances for cars traveling at 320-plus
miles per hour.
 
"I've been racing to 1,000 feet my whole career," Force said.  "I just
went past it a little, that's all.  The only difference I see (with
this week's race) is where you put on the brakes, step off the gas and
(deploy) the parachutes and that's a no brainer."
 

In front of his family and friends, Antron Brown simply “showed out,”
as he so eloquently put it. The hometown kid, who qualified on the pole
twice at Raceway Park aboard a Pro Stock Motorcycle drive his way to
the top of Top Fuel for the first time at the famed facility.

Even Grandma Lossie [who earned her nickname by getting lost in New
York] was here to see her grandson run 4.502 seconds at 326.24 miles
per hour.

HEAD TAKES PROVISIONAL TOP SPOT IN FUNNY CAR; DIXON, ANDERSON, RIVAS ALSO PROVISIONAL NO. 1 QUALIFIERS IN ENGLISHTOWN

After nearly 15 years since his last No. 1 qualifier, Funny Car driver
Jim Head raced to the provisional top spot Friday at the place he last
collected his No. 1 qualifier, the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals.

Larry Dixon, Greg Anderson and Chris Rivas were also No. 1 qualifiers
in their respective categories at the 11th of 24 events on the NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Head drove his Head Racing Toyota Solara to a 4.803-second pass at
320.51 mph to become the provisional top qualifier. It would be Head’s
second career No. 1 qualifier, with his first coming in 1993 in
Englishtown in the Top Fuel category.

Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of  qualifying for
the 39th annual Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township
Raceway Park, 11th of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series.  Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final
eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Antron Brown, 4.502 seconds, 326.24 mph; 2.
Brandon Bernstein, 4.525, 323.27; 3. Doug Foley, 4.532, 327.43; 4.
David Grubnic, 4.539, 318.84; 5. Cory McClenathan, 4.542, 325.92; 6.
Rod Fuller, 4.551, 328.46; 7. Bob Vandergriff, 4.565, 315.19; 8. Steve
Torrence, 4.579, 315.42; 9. Tony Schumacher, 4.582, 320.36; 10. Hillary
Will, 4.584, 323.12; 11. Morgan Lucas, 4.601, 320.74; 12. Doug Kalitta,
4.609, 319.14.  Not Qualified: 13. J.R. Todd, 4.678, 301.33; 14. Larry
Dixon, 5.000, 215.62; 15. Doug Herbert, 5.242, 255.97.

Tony Schumacher will be the first to admit Raceway Park has gotten the best of him over the years. (Roger Richards)

Very few opponents get the best of NHRA Top Fuel champion Tony
Schumacher on a regular basis. The one opponent who has performed this
act on a regular basis is not a racer or a car.

Old Bridge Township Raceway Park beats Schumacher year in and year out like a drum.

“Man, that track flat out gives me a headache every year,” said the
Chicago-area resident as he prepared for the Lucas Oil SuperNationals
here this weekend.

Schumacher has won five world championships and 45 career victories, yet can’t seem to get out of his own way at Raceway Park.

Doug
Herbert has a wealth of memories related to his sons and Englishtown. (Roger Richards)

There’s not a day that passes when NHRA Top Fuel driver Doug Herbert
doesn’t reflect on his sons, Jon and James, who were killed earlier
this year in an automobile accident. They often traveled to races with
him and because of that, some events bring back memories more than
others.

This weekend’s event in Englishtown is one of those where the memories are strong.

“Every time we came to Old Bridge,” said Herbert, “James wanted to go
to the motocross track. He competed in motocross, and always wanted to
go watch those guys.”

NHRA has announced that limited tickets are available for the Quarter
Mile Club, an innovative new luxury suite package available to fans
attending the Auto Club NHRA Finals, Nov. 13-16, at the historic Auto
Club Raceway at Pomona.