2009 NHRA NORWALK NATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SUNDAY FINAL - JACK BECKMAN TAKES THE FUNNY CAR VICTORY AT SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS
Dixon, Line and Hines also win at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park
Jack Beckman received a birthday gift as he raced to his second Funny Car victory of the season Sunday at the Summit Racing 
Equipment NHRA Nationals a first for him at this track.
Larry Dixon, Jason Line and Andrew Hines also were winners of the NHRA
Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at Summit Racing Equipment
Motorsports Park.
Beckman drove his Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Charger to his
second win of the season and moved to fourth in the Full Throttle
Series points standings, by his nearly perfect .001 reaction time off
the line against Bob Tasca. Beckman earned his eighth career victory
with a performance of 4.315 at 277.54, while Tasca trailed in his
Motorcraft Quicklane Ford Shelby Mustang with a 6.470 at 149.93.
“I think it’s only on your birthday that you get away with what I got
away with,” said Beckman, who battled a head cold all weekend. “I made
a mistake, pure and simple. We had a good car, but we were vulnerable.
As I stepped on the throttle, I was looking down at the green light as
I went by and it went green and I went, ‘Wow, we’re still very much in
this thing.’
“We’ve been sliding down in points the last couple of weeks, so it was
good to go from sixth to fourth. Our goal is to be a top-five car by
Indy, and, more importantly, our goal is to be consistently quick come
Indy. Once the points are reset anyone in the top five has a chance [to
win the championships], and if you can hit your stride now, like we did
last year heading into Denver, we’re going to be in good shape for the
summer months.”
Dixon drove his Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing dragster to his fifth win
of the season and first at this track with a performance of 3.981 at
294.54, while Bernstein smoked the tires in his Budweiser/ Lucas Oil
dragster with a 7.257 at 94.06.
“Four win lights at the end of the day, that’s what counts,” said
Dixon. “There were certain rounds that were not pretty, but at the same
time, we were the quickest car every pair. I’m just real thankful to be
able to get this win.”
"The biggest thing is that [this is] a good team and they’re working on
trying to find the personality of all the brand new parts they have,
and for me, it’s trying to find my comfort zone within the team. Being
underneath one camp for a long period of time and then you switch, it’s
different. It’s taken me a little while to adapt and try to fit in and
hold up my end of the bargain.”
Line
earned his fourth win of the season and 18th of his career in his
Summit Racing Pontiac GXP at his sponsors home track, taking his place
as 10th on the Pro Stock all-time list. This was the first race using
teammate Greg Anderson’s 2008 car after Lines’ team had performance
issues with his car.
“This was absolutely the biggest win for me, and it was a great time to
do it,” said Line. “We’re tired of watching that yellow car win races,
and we needed to get out there too. We just haven’t done a good job
lately. But we’re starting to right the ship, and by Indy time, we’re
going to be strong. It’s hopefully a sign of things to come for us, and
it was a great day.”
“My truck driver, Sonny McCurdy, he told me a couple weeks ago, ‘Keep
doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.’ So
we said, ‘We’ve gotta change something up here because we’ve just been
terrible, and we’re a better team than that.’ It was Rob’s [Downing,
crew chief] decision [to use Anderson’s old car], and it was time.
There was really nothing wrong with the other car, we just couldn’t see
the forest for the trees. So we made some changes, and obviously it’s
paid off for us. And it’s going to get better.”
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hines won his first race of the season, 16th
of his career with a performance of 7.024 at 189.98 on his Lucas Oil
Buell, to hold off fellow Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines rider Eddie
Krawiec, who finished in 7.032 at 190.78.
“It’s been 19 or 20 races [since last win], and it feels good to do it
with my teammate in the other lane; it made it that much better,” said
Hines, who also won here in 2007. “Eddie’s been kicking my butt lately,
so I hit the Tree hard in the semifinals when I had a bye, and in the
final, I figured I had nothing to lose I hadn’t been there in a while;
if I go red, I go red. I threw everything I had at it because I knew I
needed something against Eddie. It’s good to finally be back on my game
on the starting line.
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues with the 30th
annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, July 10-12, at scenic Bandimere
Speedway near Denver.
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - COUGHLIN DRIVES JEGS.COM TO K&N CHALLENGE VICTORY
Dixon, Neff, Anderson and Hines claim No. 1 qualifying honors at Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals
Jeg Coughlin drove his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to the $50,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge victory Saturday at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.
In other racing, Larry Dixon, Neff, Greg Anderson and Andrew Hines claimed No. 1 qualifying positions and will lead their respective categories into tomorrow's 11 a.m. eliminations for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. It is the 12th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
It was the third win for Coughlin in the special bonus event for the eight quickest Pro Stock teams from the last year.
Coughlin, from Delaware, Ohio, covered the quarter-mile distance in 6.675 seconds at 207.05 mph in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to beat Greg Anderson, who posted a performance of 7.322 at 161.69 in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP.
"Lately, it’s just been a combination of running good and getting the breaks when we need them. The car fishtailed down the track in the second round, and I’m amazed that we were able to hold on. We were also able to win without having lane choice all day, which was a plus. There’s not that much difference between the lanes, but the right lane [where he had to run] is a little bit trickier between 60 feet and 200 feet."
In Top Fuel, Dixon held top qualifying honors for his 3rd of the season, and 34th of his career with a performance of 3.882 at 301.74 mph in his Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing dragster.
On his No. 1 qualifying position -- “It’s nice, obviously,” said Dixon. “It gives you lane choice and you get to draw what pair, so that really helps. Like I talked about yesterday, it’s just watching the track temperature and trying to adjust for it and trying to make the best run you can under whatever track conditions are given us.”
Funny Car’s Mike Neff earned his first No. 1 qualifying effort of the season, and third of his career with a performance of 419.0 at 279.93 mph in his Ford Drive One Mustang Funny Car.
"We were still able to learn something today and got a lot of information that will help us out tomorrow," said Neff. "We didn't make it down the track on our last pass, we needed to learn our boundaries and where we can't go tomorrow. We feel good so far.”
In Pro Stock, Anderson raced to his 72nd career No. 1 and third of the season, driving his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to a category-best time of 6.644 at 207.34.
"We feel that the recent changes we’ve made to the car, a lot of which resulted from our testing in similar conditions in Martin, Mich., earlier this week, helped us straighten things out," said Anderson. "I can’t wait to get back into the car tomorrow and do a better job than we did today.”
Hines earned a 26th No. 1 qualifying position of his career in Pro Stock Motorcycle, setting a new track record with the quickest time of 6.944 at 192.28 mph on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. The track record for quickest time was previously held by Matt Smith (June 2007).
In addition, the track record for fastest run was set by Hector Arana at 192.63 mph breaking a previous record set by Craig Treble (June 2007).
“It feels good having the No. 1 qualifier under my belt,” said Hines. “The Screamin’ Eagle bike hasn’t been up to par the last few races; the 20 pounds really hurt us and threw us for a curve. Now we’re starting to get a handle on it and the tune-up is coming around with it.”
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First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the third annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing quipment Motorsports Park, the 12th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 3.882 seconds, 301.74 mph vs. 16. Steven Chrisman, 4.163,279.44; 2. Spencer Massey, 3.908, 301.00 vs. 15. Pat Dakin, 4.089, 270.37; 3. Shawn Langdon, 3.927, 299.80 vs. 14. Troy Buff, 4.059, 283.73; 4. Rod Fuller, 3.929, 302.62 vs. 13. Cory McClenathan, 4.037, 283.19; 5. Antron Brown, 3.933, 305.01 vs. 12. Joe Hartley, 4.037, 296.05; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 3.939, 300.06 vs. 11. Tim Cullinan, 3.989, 295.14; 7. Morgan Lucas, 3.939, 299.80 vs. 10. Tony Schumacher, 3.979, 289.63; 8. Doug Kalitta, 3.954, 296.11 vs. 9. Clay Millican, 3.957, 302.69.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Scott Palmer, 4.175, 289.88; 18. Luigi Novelli, 6.857, 100.84.
Funny Car -- 1. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang, 4.190, 279.73 vs. 16. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang,4.482, 264.55; 2. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.214, 286.07 vs. 15. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.397, 271.41; 3. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.217, 278.52 vs. 14. Jim Head, Solara, 4.366, 261.02; 4. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.236, 278.35 vs. 13. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.346, 269.89; 5. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.241, 268.38 vs. 12. Del Worsham, Solara, 4.314, 275.96; 6. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.242, 280.66 vs. 11. Bob Bode, Chevy Impala SS, 4.310, 270.81; 7. John Force, Mustang, 4.252, 276.24 vs. 10. Jerry Toliver, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.279, 280.72; 8. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.263, 272.89 vs. 9. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.266, 275.28.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Justin Schriefer, no time.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 6.644, 207.62 vs. 16. Ryan Ondrejko, GXP,6.719, 204.45; 2. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.648, 207.11 vs. 15. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.710, 205.32; 3. Jason Line, GXP, 6.652, 207.46 vs. 14. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.709, 206.04; 4. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.655, 207.75 vs. 13. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.708, 205.22; 5. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.670, 206.95 vs. 12. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.707, 205.29; 6. Warren Johnson, GXP,6.676, 207.59 vs. 11. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.699, 205.91; 7. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.676, 206.86 vs. 10. David Beckley, Stratus, 6.697, 206.23; 8. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.688, 207.15 vs. 9. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.696, 205.98.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Dave Northrop, 6.722, 205.16; 18. V. Gaines, 6.746, 204.23; 19. Bob Benza, 6.759, 204.29; 20. Erica Enders, 6.827, 200.38; 21. Kenny Delco, 6.837, 201.94; 22. Mark Hogan, 7.181, 176.47.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.944, 192.28 vs. 16. Mike Berry, Buell, 7.154, 185.92; 2. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.966, 192.63 vs. 15. Angie McBride, Buell, 7.139, 183.82; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.971, 191.46 vs. 14. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.136, 185.43; 4. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.001, 187.11 vs. 13. David Hope, Buell, 7.130, 187.39; 5. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.058, 188.91 vs. 12. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.112, 185.43; 6. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.070, 188.04 vs. 11. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.106, 187.86; 7. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.070, 189.26 vs. 10. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.101, 187.13; 8. Douglas Horne, Buell, 7.076, 188.25 vs. 9. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.086, 191.08.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Wesley Wells, 7.209, 185.97; 18. Bailey Whitaker, 7.242, 178.50; 19. Joe DeSantis, 7.248, 186.72; 20. Geoff Godfrey, 7.522, 177.95.
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Saturday's final round-by-round results from the 25th annual K&N Horsepower Challenge at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports
Park:
ROUND ONE -- Jason Line, Pontiac GXP, 6.652, 207.46 def. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 14.522, 88.31; Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.670, 206.92 def. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 14.773, 55.57; Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.659, 207.40 def. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.729,206.26;Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.644, 207.34 def. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.676, 206.61;
SEMIFINALS -- Coughlin, 6.709, 206.95 def. Edwards, 6.673, 207.75; Anderson, 6.652, 207.62 def. Line, 6.684, 206.89;
FINAL -- Coughlin, 6.675, 207.05 def. Anderson, 7.322, 161.69.
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - DIXON SITS NO. 1 IN NORWALK; NEFF, A. JOHNSON, GUIDERA ALSO IN PROVISIONAL
SPOTS AT SUMMIT MOTORSPORTS PARK
Larry Dixon raced to the provisional No. 1 qualifier at the 3rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
Mike Neff, Allen Johnson and Matt Guidera also took the provisional top spots in their respective categories at the 12th of 24 events on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
Dixon, drove his Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing dragster to a 3.882-second pass at 301.74 mph to become the provisional top qualifier in Top Fuel. If it stands it would be Dixon’s third No. 1 qualifier of the season, 34th of his career and a first at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.
“The first run we went down the track and ran decent,” said Dixon. “You’re just trying to gauge it off of the track temperature; that’s the biggest thing everybody looks at. They were going to try to run a high 3.90 and it did, and for the second session, it was just a matter of how much the track temp would come around.”
Current points leader Antron Brown sits fifth after the first day of qualifying.
In Funny Car, Neff drove his Ford Drive One Mustang to a 4.190 at 
297.73 to take the provisional No. 1 spot. If it stands, it would be Neff’s first No. 1 qualifier of the season and third of his career.
“The track was tricky today, especially in the first session," said Neff, who is looking for his first No. 1 spot of the year. "The improvement that we had in the afternoon came from a combination of more rubber on the surface and cooler track temperatures.”
Current points leader Tony Pedregon is sitting in the 3rd spot as defending event winner.
Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson took the provisional top spot in his category. Johnson drove his Mopar Dodge Stratus to a 6.649 at 206.99 and looks to collect his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and seventh of his career.
“The [newly-paved] track felt very good, and it will get better as the fuel cars make more runs and lay more rubber on the track.” Current points leader Jeg Coughlin is sitting in the sixth spot after the first day of qualifying.”
Pro Stock Motorcycle driver Matt Guidera took the provisional top spot in his category. Guidera rode his Mohegan Sun Rocklin Motorsports Buell to a 7.001 at 187.11 and looks to collect his second No. 1 qualifier of his career.
“That was an awesome run for the team,” said Guidera. “We worked on the setup a little bit and were able to get a little bit better hold of the starting line, and that just put me through the first eighth-mile a little quicker.”
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at Noon and 2 p.m.
Sunday’s eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 3rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, 12th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 3.882 seconds, 301.74 mph; 2. Spencer Massey, 3.908, 301.00; 3.Shawn Langdon, 3.927, 299.80; 4. Rod Fuller, 3.929, 302.62; 5. Antron Brown, 3.933, 305.01; 6.Brandon Bernstein, 3.939, 300.06; 7. Morgan Lucas, 3.939, 299.80; 8. Doug Kalitta, 3.954, 296.11;9. Clay Millican, 3.957, 302.69; 10. Tony Schumacher, 3.979, 289.63; 11. Tim Cullinan, 3.989,295.14; 12. Joe
Hartley, 4.037, 296.05.
Not Qualified: 13. Troy Buff, 4.064, 283.73; 14. CoryMcClenathan, 4.066, 275.45; 15. Scott Palmer, 4.107, 289.88; 16. Pat Dakin, 4.126, 242.36; 17.Luigi Novelli, 6.472, 100.84; 18. Steven Chrisman, 9.460, 98.15.
Funny Car -- 1. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang, 4.190, 279.73; 2. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.214,286.07; 3. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.217, 278.52; 4. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.236, 278.35;5. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.241, 256.21; 6. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.242, 280.66; 7. JohnForce, Mustang, 4.252, 276.24; 8. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.263, 272.89; 9. Matt Hagan, Charger,4.266, 275.28; 10. Jerry Toliver, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.279, 280.72; 11. Bob Bode, Chevy Impala SS,4.310, 270.81; 12. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.314, 275.96.
Not Qualified: 13. Jim Head, 4.317,255.92; 14. Cruz Pedregon, 4.339, 271.41; 15. Jeff Arend, 4.357, 238.72; 16. Justin Schriefer, 4.634, 258.81; 17. Tim Wilkerson, 4.661, 209.04.
Pro Stock -- 1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.649, 206.99; 2. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP,6.655, 207.24; 3. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.666, 207.02; 4. Jason Line, GXP, 6.667, 206.73; 5. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.689, 206.89; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.700, 206.42; 7. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.700, 205.72; 8. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.704, 205.41; 9. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.708, 205.07; 10. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.710, 206.23; 11. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.714, 206.42; 12. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.718, 203.43.
Not Qualified: 13. Rickie Jones, 6.731, 204.45; 14. Dave Northrop, 6.734,205.04; 15. Johnny Gray, 6.736, 204.91; 16. David Beckley, 6.740, 205.38; 17. Ryan Ondrejko, 6.749, 204.20; 18. Bob Benza, 6.771, 203.43; 19. V. Gaines, 6.851, 201.97; 20. Erica Enders, 6.870, 199.70; 21. Kenny Delco, 6.887, 200.74; 22. Mark Hogan, 16.458, 44.04.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.001, 187.11; 2. Eddie Krawiec,Harley-Davidson, 7.013, 190.35; 3. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.015, 191.51; 4. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.070, 186.69; 5. Douglas Horne, Buell, 7.076, 185.97; 6. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.078, 189.23; 7. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.097, 186.92; 8. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.100, 187.91; 9. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.113,
187.13; 10. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.114, 190.32; 11. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.134, 185.43; 12. David Hope, Buell, 7.137, 186.41.
Not Qualified: 13. Mike Berry, 7.145, 185.92; 14. Jim Underdahl, 7.197, 184.45; 15. Craig Treble, 7.216, 183.89; 16. Wesley Wells, 7.221, 185.54; 17. Joe DeSantis, 7.225, 186.72; 18. Angie McBride, 7.240, 182.90; 19. Geoff Godfrey, 7.481, 177.95; 20. Bailey
Whitaker, 10.690, 77.58.
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EVENT PREVIEW - ANDERSON HUNGRY FOR WIN AT SPONSOR'S RACE
As surprising as it sounds, the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
hits its official mid-point race this weekend – No. 12 of 24 – and 
Pro Stock superstar Greg Anderson is still looking for his first victory of the season.
Anderson’s 2009 campaign hasn’t started in the fashion that the
three-time Pro Stock world champion has grown accustomed. By this point
in most seasons, he’s usually won a handful of events, advanced to a
bunch of final rounds, claimed several top qualifying efforts and is
working on plans to extend his series points lead.
Not this year.
Anderson’s two No. 1 qualifying positions and runner-up finish at
Bristol would make a career-year for some drivers in the
ultra-competitive 200 mph class. But not Anderson. During the past six
seasons he’s won 53 races, three NHRA world championship titles and one
Driver of the Year award.
He’s come to expect a little more.
Anderson hopes he can find the magic and get back on the winning track
at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, June 25-28 at Summit
Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. Anderson is the defending Pro Stock
winner of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, and shared
the stage last year with fellow pro category winners Doug Herbert (Top
Fuel), Tony Pedregon (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana (Pro Stock
Motorcycle). The race will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.
“The
competition has certainly gained on us a little bit, so it has been a
challenge,” Anderson said. “I have struggled a little bit with my
driving this year too. It all adds up to a bit of frustration. We know
what we have to do and hopefully we can get it done this weekend.”
Two drivers in the category have shown great gains. Series leader Jeg
Coughlin has won five times in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt. Meanwhile,
from out of the clear blue, Mike Edwards has put together a strong team
with his own in-house engine program and raced to the front of the pack
in his ART/Young Life Pontiac GXP. Edwards has been very tough,
claiming six No. 1 qualifying positions and winning twice in six final
rounds.
In head-to-head meetings this season with his two primary points rivals
– four time and defending champ Coughlin and the resurgent Edwards --
Anderson is 1-6. He knows that must change if he’s going to have a shot
at winning his fourth world championship.
“Mike Edwards and Jeg have really done a wonderful job with their
programs and we applaud their efforts,” Anderson said. “Mike
especially is doing a fantastic job and I’m very proud of him. He’s
certainly shown what can be done. But we’re not going to lay down and
watch him or anybody else. We’re going to keep trying to make more
power and try to get around him and keep working on our program to make
it better as we get closer to the Countdown.”
Despite his slow start, the driver of the Summit Racing Pontiac GXP is
within striking range in third place in the point standings, a little
more than 200 points back of Coughlin and 106 back of second place
Edwards.
“We’re still holding our own and we’re in good shape for the
Countdown,” Anderson said. “We’ve just got to work harder and rectify
some of the things that have been going on. ‘I’ll admit I’ve had
trouble keeping a clear mind at the track here lately. Once you get
something in your head it seems like it is hard to fix it. I’ll tell
you it’s really hard to keep a big smile on your face when you are
getting outrun at the racetrack.”
Anderson has had this event marked on his calendar since last year. He
had great success here, as he beat Larry Morgan in the final round to
win the race and nearly pulled off a double-victory, but came up just
short in the final round of the K&N Horsepower Challenge to Allen
Johnson. Anderson is a two-time winner of the K&N Horsepower
Challenge, a special bonus race-within-a-race for the eight quickest
Pro Stock cars from the last 24 races. This year Anderson will once
again lead the elite field into the race as the top seed.
He hopes he can pull off the double this time around.
“This is the one weekend we always look forward to, and it’s a little
frustrating this year because we always like to peak around this time,”
Anderson said. “It’s obviously a very important race for us, not only
because Summit is the event sponsor and track sponsor, but because
there’s a lot of money on the line with the K&N Challenge. You like
to go in there with your guns loaded and bring out something special to
put on a great show for Summit and their employees. There’s a lot of
pressure to perform, but that’s what makes it fun. We just need to find
a little more power so we can make a good run at it this weekend.”
In Top Fuel, Antron Brown is the points leader in his Matco Tools
dragster with two wins, while Tony Schumacher has posted three
victories in his U.S. Army dragster. The most recent winner on the
circuit – Larry Dixon – is charging to the front in his Al-Anabi Racing
dragster with three wins on the season. Rookies Spencer Massey and
Shawn Langdon are working their way into the mix and will battle tough
veterans Cory McClenathan, Brandon Bernstein, Doug Kalitta and Morgan
Lucas for the victory.
The competition in Funny Car is just as tough. Defending event winner
Pedregon is riding a wave of success from back-to-back victories that
put the two-time world champion into the points lead for the first time
this season. Ashley Force Hood, who has advanced to the last three
finals and won in Houston, has the best Ford Mustang of the four in the
John Force Racing team pit area. Ron Capps, who led the points for much
of the first half of the season with four wins in his NAPA Dodge
Charger, hopes to return to the front of the pack. Other favorites in
the 7,000 horsepower category include season winners Del Worsham, Bob
Tasca and Jack Beckman.
Defending world champ Eddie Krawiec has advanced to the last four final
rounds on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson and won
two of those races to take a healthy lead in the Pro Stock Motorcycle
standings. However, crafty veteran Suzuki rider Craig Treble has won
two times, including two weeks ago at Englishtown, N.J., to push toward
the top of the points order. Past world champs Matt Smith and Andrew
Hines are both still looking for their first wins of the season.
However, veterans Arana, the defending race winner, and Matt Guidera
have each earned a win so far. Rookie Doug Horne also will be one to
watch over the weekend in the two-wheel category.
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