2010 NHRA U.S. NATIONALS - PRO STOCK
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STANFIELD REACTS HIS WAY TO FIRST INDY WIN -The Pro Stock final round at the 2010 NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals might have been the most notable upset since biblical times when David slew Goliath.
Greg Stanfield, driving Kenny Koretsky’s Nitrofish Pontiac, didn’t have a slingshot or a stone to throw at his opponent, Mike Edwards. For him, his left leg and lane choice got the job done just the same.
Stanfield has raced Indy every year since 1987, falling short every year until this year.
Stanfield fended off Edwards with a slower 6.665, 207.59 to claim his first career Indy title in his second straight final round appearance at this race. Edwards, racing from the less advantageous right lane, lost despite a 6.627, 208.75.
Stanfield carried a .056 advantage by the time they passed the tree.
“It has been 23 long years,” Stanfield admitted. “I was the runner-up queen. I just kept trying. When you race as a sportsman racer as long as I did, it just becomes ingrained in you that your success or failure is dependent on what you do on the tree. You live or die on the tree.”
The victory moved Stanfield, the eighth seed headed into the Countdown to 1, into third place behind Edwards and Allen Johnson.
Stanfield used an Eddie Guarnaccia tune-up to drive his way to the finals from the No. 6 qualifying position, defeating Warren Johnson, Jason Line and Allen Johnson to earn the right to race the low qualifier.
“This is one of the best victories of my life, especially in winning one for Kenny,” said Stanfield.
For his part, Edwards had a tough day in the office although his car ran well enough to beat Justin Humphries, Greg Anderson and a determined V. Gaines.
“The left lane had been the best lane all day, and Mike being the champion that he is, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy race,” Stanfield explained. “He obviously made a good run in the right lane ... was just a little late.”
The only scenario more improbable than his Indy victory was the fact he even turned a tire under power to start the season. Stanfield had previously driven for Bart Price and when he disbanded the team at the conclusion of last season, the four-time sportsman world champion wondered if his dream of racing Pro Stock was over.
“Didn’t have a clue whether I’d be racing or not,” Stanfield confirmed.
Enter Koretsky with a plan to give the talented engine builder and driver a place to race.
“We had talked last year about getting together and we were waiting on some things to happen,” said Koretsky, a Pro Stock runner-up himself five years ago in Indy. “I called him in January and told him, let’s just make this thing happen. Greg Hill is a big help as an associate sponsor.”
Koretsky believed his team would inevitably win one of the Countdown races. But for Stanfield, he felt the same way about getting the Indy trophy.
“I knew my time was going to come sooner or later,” Stanfield said. “It just happened this was the time.”
MONDAY QUICK HITS - RACE DAY REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION
A NOBLE GESTURE – John and Tina Gaydosh, owners of Gaydosh Performance and the Pro Stock entry bearing the Hot Rods for Heroes theme, was named the Best Appearing Crew.
The Gaydoshes, along with Ron Greenwood, founder of the organization, have decided to present their trophy to the Brooks Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Ron was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston with the 507th Medivac as a Medivac crew chief from 1982 – 1983.
ENGINE PROGRAM COMING AROUND - V. Gaines is starting to see progress from his in-house engine program which he started last year. Gaines not only ran down a quicker reacting Kurt Johnson but also laid down the low elapsed time [6.592] of the first round.
“The guys at Madcap Racing Engines have been working long hours for the last year-and-a-half,” explained Gaines. “Every weekend it gets better and better. This is a fun ride to drive now.”
Gaines was the fifth quickest qualifier this weekend.
“I’m no spring chicken so I wanted to do the engine program while I still have a few years to enjoy it.”
OFF THE PACE – Mike Edwards was fortunate to have raced Justin Humphreys in the first round. The defending series champion fell off the pace with a winning 6.624 elapsed time.
Edwards didn’t break anything.
“We just didn’t make the right call,” confirmed team owner Roger Stull.
OFF ABOUT FIVE TICKS OR SO – One round later, a winning Edwards wasn’t any more confident than he was after winning the first round.
“We are searching now,” Edwards admitted. “We are off a tick, more than that. We are off about four or five ticks.”
TOUGH CONDITIONS – If anyone has had a battle with the O’Reilly Raceway Park racing surface, it has been Roy Johnson, the engine builder and crew chief for the Team Mopar Dodge driven by Allen Johnson. He believes the conditions for the first round are going to be the best the Pro Stock teams are going to see today.
“The conditions are just a tick worse than they were in the best qualifying sessions,” said Johnson between the first and second round. “It hasn’t been that bad, we just haven’t made a good run yet.”
Johnson doesn’t believe the shortcomings are anyone’s fault. It’s just a byproduct of a long day and lots of runs.
PLEASE DON’T PUT ME IN THE RIGHT LANE – Allen Johnson had to win two rounds in the less-than-admirable right lane before earning lane choice and the opportunity to take the left lane.
“That right lane is just treacherous,” Johnson said following his win over Ron Krisher. “You saw Jeggie and Greg do the same thing in the right lane. Fortunately we put a little different set up in the car for the second round. That’s the first time we got down it all weekend.”
FISH-TAILING – Greg Stanfield had an exciting first two rounds of eliminations. In the first round, his car moved around the track quite a bit but he was able to reel it in enough to beat Warren Johnson. One round later, Stanfield fixed the edgy race car enough to lay down a .008 reaction on Jason Line and beat him to the stripe.
“Oh it was a smooth run a walk in the park,” Stanfield said sarcastically while smiling. “Warren did an awesome job in the first round. My car took a right down in the last part of the run.”
One round later, Stanfield was on his game.
“It really feels good to turn on the win light,” Stanfield admitted. “We’ve struggled for the past few races.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU – Rodger Brogdon’s crew chief Tim Freeman celebrated his 45th birthday on race day.
“If I can’t be with my family, I’d say out here at the U.S. Nationals is the second best place to be,” admitted Freeman. “We are just happy to have made the Countdown. Just qualifying at Indy was quite a feat.”
Brogdon left on first round opponent Jeg Coughlin Jr. by .004 but in the end the yellow machine caught him for the victory.
TO FOUL AND TO RUN QUICKER – Johnny Gray knows exactly how that feels. The driver of the Big O Tires-sponsored Pontiac Pro Stocker left too early by .006, only to run 6.622, a pass quicker than his first round opponent Greg Anderson.
“In all actuality, I don’t feel bad about it, it was Monday at the NHRA U.S. Nationals,” admitted Gray. “My lights have been good all weekend and throughout testing. I guess I was just a little too amped this morning.”
Unfortunately for the Gray operation, son and teammate Shane, lost to Ron Krisher a few pairs later.
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - EDWARDS BACK AS #1, GLIDDEN ALL SMILES
THE CHAMPION IS NERVOUSLY READY - After losing his hold on the top spot, falling back in the qualifying run order, defending NHRA Pro Stock champion Mike Edwards thundered back to claim the No. 1 position in the first of two qualifying sessions during final day qualifications at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
A track record 6.579 and 209.14 miles per hour speed propelled Edwards to his twelfth No. 1 qualifying position of 2010; 34th of his career.
Regardless of the accolades on his lengthy resume, Edwards understands he must prove himself once again on Monday during final eliminations.
“I think tomorrow is going to be exciting for everybody, fans and competitors,” said Edwards. “It’s going to be interesting for sure. There’s a lot of fast cars all bunched together. We were real fortunate that AJ [Allen Johnson] was in the first pair out this morning. If it hadn’t have been for that, it could have been me up there. I’m real thankful that we made a good run.”
Allen Johnson, who led Friday’s first qualifying session, stumbled in Saturday’s opening session and was forced to move into the first cars to run during the final session. Edwards was faced with the same situation after Friday’s first session.
“If you get stuck in the front on a good session, even if you have an extremely fast car, you can have a tough time,” explained Edwards.
Where he begins in Monday’s eliminations are now his choice by virtue of a better qualifying position. He might need a few runs to see the trend of early competition.
“Tomorrow’s gonna be different, a little warm,” said Edwards. “We just need to be able to adjust because the track is going to be warm. The driver who best maneuvers the race track is going to be the one who comes away with the Wally. It’s anybody’s race.”
Because the road to the winner’s circle is wide open, Edwards admits he’s feeling a bit of pressure to perform. He knows the buck stops with him.
“There’s more pressure but you still have to focus and do your thing,” said Edwards. “We’ll go as far as I can go. It will depend on me.”
One championship down, Edwards understands securing a second title could require the fight of his life.
“It’s hard to get there to win the first championship and even harder to stay there,” Edwards said. “This year we started off tremendously and could do no wrong. I drove exceptionally well and we ran well. We won some races but it seemed in the last stretch we’ve struggled a bit. I know we qualified No. 1 but I feel like we are a tick off.”
FROM ONE CHAMPION TO ANOTHER - Confidence has appeared to be a struggle lately for the defending series champion Mike Edwards but a conversation 
earlier today with ten-time Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden, also racing this weekend, went a long way to calming the defending champion’s nerves.
He didn’t ask for the advice, but he got it in a friendly way.
“Glidden told me you just have to do it, have fun,” Edwards explained of Glidden’s advice. “You have to stop thinking about it and just go out there and do it.”
Edwards paused, smiled and then continued during a Sunday afternoon press conference at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
“That’s pretty good advice. Bob owns this place [O’Reilly Raceway Park] and I think that his being out here has been great. Pro Stock needed him this weekend. That guy is and will always be Pro Stock to me. I don’t care if he’s in a Ford, Volkswagen or whatever. He’s the king to me. I think it made Pro Stock even bigger this weekend. I think it’s awesome to have him out here.
“You have these guys out here like Glidden and Warren Johnson, how much bigger can it get than that?”
A SECOND PISTONATOR? - Steve Kent’s participation in Competition eliminator during the NHRA U.S. Nationals wasn’t a coincidence according to team driver Rodger Brogdon. It was a precursor.
Kent is planning a foray into Pro Stock eliminator as a second driver for the Attitude Apparel Pro Stock team in 2011.
“I can tell you, Steve Kent is racing at least ten Pro Stock races next year,” said Brogdon during the CompetitionPlus.com Attitude Apparel Hour produced by WFO Radio. “I told him if you get in there for one or two you might just run all 22 of them.”
Kent and Brogdon first met as Competition eliminator racers and figured for the money they were each spending to be at the top of the handicap sportsman division, they could combine their financial efforts in 2010 and campaign a competitive Pro Stock effort.
Kent went three rounds in Competition eliminations before losing to Al Ackerman.
A LEGEND GETS HIS DUE - Bob Glidden has never been so happy to DNQ. The multitude of rabid Pro Stock fans at O’Reilly Raceway Park were all too happy to elicit a hearty applause and there were a few standing ovations.
The ten-time NHRA champion from Whiteland, Ind., was all smiles as he towed up the return road following his final run Sunday at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
“The fans are so incredible that it’s unbelievable,” said Glidden. “But, we knew we’d struggle. The guys on the team worked so hard to get me into the car and into the routine. I feel bad that we ran so poorly. This has been a great weekend.
Glidden ended up 24th out of 30 entries with a 6.705 elapsed time at 205.91 miles per hour. The bump spot was a 6.631 confirming to the cagey veteran there’s much work to be done before the next race at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, in two weeks.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do in the next four or five months,” Glidden said. “We’re going to get better.”
Glidden said the first order of importance for the Cunningham Motorsports team is in making some changes to the engine specifically in the cylinder heads.
“We’ve got to get to a race track with hot conditions and normal air,: said Glidden. “We have to do a better job with these cars.”
Glidden’s return to the quarter-mile turned out to be a family affair with support from longtime wife Etta and eldest son Billy, who came out to watch his dad drive in the test session prior to the event in Martin, Mich.
For all three days and every run Glidden made, Etta was standing behind the car on the starting line just as she did in the championship years.
“To tell the truth, I never would have believed she would have been here past a day,” Glidden said. “It was very important to me and made me feel very good. She’s always been the backbone of our whole deal. It was very important to me that she was here.”
Etta didn’t want to be anywhere else than where she was.
“It felt just like old times,” Etta beamed. “He was so excited about it that we all got excited along with him. Once I watched him on his first pass and realized he was going to make it to the end of the track safely, I was okay with it.
“When he first told me he was coming back, I thought he was nuts. But I let him know that it was his life and he has to do with it what he wants to do with it. I let him know that no matter what he chose, I was there.”
Son Billy, a two-time champion in the ADRL’s Outlaw 10.5 champion, after watching his father make four runs in testing met him at the turnoff of U.S. 131 Motorsports Park [Martin, MI.] and the two shared an embrace and a few tears.
“It was one of the most special moments of my life,” said Glidden. “Bill was a little leery of me doing this. He didn’t know if I could do a decent job at it. He didn’t know if health-wise I should be doing it.
“In the end he came down to the track and told me he was very proud of me. He told me I had done a great job and we just sat there and cried for about five minutes. I love both of my sons.”
MORE THAN ENOUGH - Allen Johnson moved up to the No. 2 spot in the final day of qualifying at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. The Team Mopar driver also set the track speed record at storied O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis for the third consecutive day.
Johnson powered to a pass of 6.580-seconds at 210.28 mph under excellent conditions (99 degree track temps) in the morning session, jumping from No. 4 to the top spot and besting the track speed marks he'd established on Friday (209.46 mph) and Saturday (209.75 mph). The Greeneville, Tenn. native was bumped to No. 2 by just a thousandth of a second by eventual top qualifier Mike Edwards.
Johnson’s car shook the tires and shutdown shortly after leaving the starting line on his final qualifying run.
“The Mopar/J&J Racing team had a decent day,” said the modest Johnson, who has been a top three qualifier in 10 of the last 11 events and will seek his second NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series victory of the season tomorrow. “We didn’t want to do that (shut down) in the last session. That right lane gets everybody. Hopefully, we’ll stay in the left lane tomorrow.
“I’m happy at how the Mopar Dodge Avenger is running. We’ll go into tomorrow with a little bit of advantage at the No. 2 spot. If I drive good we’ve got a shot to start off the Countdown playoffs right.”
Johnson, currently second in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship standings, will meet Steve Spiess in the first round of eliminations tomorrow. V. Gaines, the No. 5 qualifier in his Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger Pro Stock car, will go heads-up with Kurt Johnson in the opening stanza.
WANNA BE JUST LIKE HIS KID - Johnny Gray understands that it’s the son who is traditionally supposed to emulate the father. But, this time the patriarch of a 
father/son Pro Stock team, decided following his son’s lead wouldn’t be a bad idea.
In the coming weeks Gray will debut a new Pontiac GXP based on the design Shane Gray is driving. The cars are for the most part the same but Shane’s car has a few subtle differences.
“There's a little difference in the two cars and we're building another one like Shane's,” said Gray. “I don't know that it performs any better. We feel like there are some subtle changes that the guys like a little better. Shane's car seems to be a little more forgiving than my car.”
A new car combined with an emerging engine program could yield dividends for Gray as the season enters the championship phase. West is pleased with the program but believes the horsepower isn’t where it needs to be yet.
“Well everybody tells me it's coming along real good and I keep calling the shop telling them we're terrible, that we need more power,” said Gray. “It's the age old Pro Stock deal. The guys at the shop have to work night and day to try to get us to the top of the heap. When we get to the top of the heap, then they have to work night and day to stay ahead.”
Gray believes his work will be cut out for him and his son, now that the Countdown is underway. He feels there will be some teams all too willing to turn the wick up after keeping some in reserve.
“It's going to be real interesting, now that we're actually starting the points battle, to see who comes out and runs significantly harder than they've been running the last few races,” Gray said. “I have a sneaking suspicion Mike will show his true colors, again. I think a few other people might, too.”
No, Gray isn’t suggesting there’s been any sandbagging going on.
“I think some of the guys might have been doing a little bit of testing,” said West. “I am not sure guys like Mike might have his best motor all freshened up in getting ready for the Countdown.”
Edwards went to No. 1 while Gray was eighth quickest following three days of unpredictable qualifying.
NOT QUITE READY - In January, Justin Humphreys announced he had formed a partnership with Roush Yates Engines to run a 2010 Ford Mustang in the Pro Stock class this season.
There was a possibility Humphreys was going to debut the Mustang at the U.S. Nationals, but that didn’t happen.
Humphreys is competing at the U.S. Nationals, but he’s driving his own Race Redi Pontiac.
“We tested Tuesday at Martin, Mich., and we just brought our new clutch guy Johnny Young onboard and he figured some things with our clutch,” Humphreys said.”We made a little bit of progress and we will go home after Indy and test in Charlotte (at Zmax) Wednesday and Thursday, and hopefully bring thing out in Charlotte.”
Humphreys said his team only made four runs Tuesday in the Mustang at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Mich.
“We made those four runs and we didn’t want to wear the motor out,” Humphreys said. “We’ve made enough runs over the past few years and we were just trying to get a baseline from the test. We just decided to race my Pontiac at Indy because this is Indy. This is the big go and is just a fun race to be at.”
STANFIELD TURNS IN SOLID EFFORT - Greg Stanfield completed one of his finest qualifying efforts of the 2010 season on Sunday.
Now the NHRA’s Countdown to 1 playoffs begins and Stanfield is among the 10 drivers in championship contention.
With crew chief Eddie Guarnaccia doing the tuning, Stanfield recorded his quickest elapsed time in Sunday’s opening session – 6.584 seconds at 209.14 mph. He had earlier times of 6.594 and 6.595 seconds.
“We needed that,” said Stanfield. “The car is going down the race track the best it has all year. We will be ready for Monday’s eliminations. We have the power where it needs to be and the car is happy.”
Guarnaccia agrees. “This is the most consistent race car we’ve had,” he said, “and I think this is the best car we’ve given Greg to drive all year.”
Stanfield meets Warren Johnson (No. 11, 6.608 at 209.17 mph) in the first round.
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - OF POSITIONING, BIG SPEEDS AND WJ …
EDWARDS STUMBLES, COUGHLIN BLAZES A TRAIL TO NO. 1 – Location, location, location is the mantra for a successful business. 
Jeg Coughlin Jr. used location to his advantage to snatch away the top qualifying spot during second day qualifying at the NHRA U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.
Coughlin overtook Mike Edwards in the third session with a 6.580 pass at 209.39 miles per hour. The four-time Indy winner’s pass stands as the track elapsed time record.
If Coughlin’s run holds through tomorrow’s final day of qualifying, it will represent his third pole of 2010.
The combination of provisional leader Mike Edwards starting earlier in the day’s final session and Coughlin running later in the session worked to his favor. Coughlin was able to gain a more favorable atmospheric combination as it was changing for the better literally by the minute.
“The biggest change in the conditions is the barometer went up and then the vapor pressure came down,” explained Coughlin. “These Pro Stock cars love the cool dry air. That was the biggest benefit to the Pro Stock cars over last night’s run. We were able to poke the thing well in the 6.58 range. It felt good to make two good runs today. We’re happy to hold onto the provisional. Tomorrow will be a tough day at this point. We’ll see what Mother Nature shows up with tomorrow.”
On a day when he drove past the early leaders, Edwards and Allen Johnson, Coughlin likes his chances headed into Sunday’s final qualifying day.
“We’ve always felt we had a good car and to challenge from the No. 1 spot is exciting from the U.S. Nationals,” Coughlin said. “It’s the first race of the Countdown and ever single point counts. Right now, our confidence is continuing to build. The guys are doing a great job. We just need to keep dotting the ‘I’s’ and crossing the ‘t’s’. We need to double and triple check everyone’s work. It’s that little thing that can take you out. We certainly don’t want to shoot our own foot. I feel great behind the wheel and obviously the track is in excellent condition. I think the fans are going to be treated with some great side-by-side racing.”
Coughlin credits a great deal of Saturday’s success to newfound consistency in the chassis as of late. The four-time Pro Stock champion is a front-runner for the title after winning national events in Sonoma, Calif., and Brainerd, Minn., to go along with a runner-up in Denver.
Overall he has four victories this season, which is second only to Edwards' eight wins in the early part of the year.
“We’ve sorted out some suspension components,” explained Coughlin. “It was erratic. It would go left. It would go right. We’d tune it to go right and then it would go left. It was mysteriously not responding well. For me behind the wheel, that’s a hell of a ride and a lot of fun. For the ET boards, it doesn’t lay them over like you’d like them to. Drag racing is straight as an arrow without missing a beat.”
Coughlin confirmed the team’s chassis engineer fixed the back-half problems.
“That was the one part that gave the car its consistency,” explained Coughlin. “Roy Simmons can keep tuning in on the engine and I can keep working on my driving. We’ll continue to build on things – one on top of another.”
The fact Coughlin is catching fire as the championship chase begins is something which makes him especially dangerous. At least that’s how ten-time NHRA champion Bob Glidden sees it.
“I am not picking favorites for the Countdown but when it comes to these last six races Jeggie is going to go for the jugular,” said Glidden, who came out of retirement to race Pro Stock this weekend.
“He is going to be tough to beat,” Glidden continued.
When asked if Coughlin reminds him of his early years, Glidden was quick to set the record straight.
“I don't compare Jeggie to anyone,” Glidden said. “When it comes down to the pressure moments he is just really bad to the bone!”
WHAT ME? ATTITUDE? – Warren Johnson was taken aback by his invitation to participate in the special edition 'Attitude Hour' produced by WFO Radio Show 
and sponsored by Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com.
Johnson was the first guest of four specifically chosen for their ability to speak their minds.
“I don’t understand, I’ve never had an attitude about everything … ahem … anything,” said Johnson with a broad smile. “I just tend to correct things.”
And for Johnson, he’s confident he speaks the truth as he sees it. A sign in his shop proclaiming “Everyone is entitled to my opinion” confirms it.
In Pro Stock, Johnson believes the class he helped to make famous isn’t as exciting as it could be.
“I think we need a little more diversity in it,” Johnson said. “But that’s up to the competitors to bring that around. I think the rules have been really stable except for a few aerodynamic rules which had little impact. Overall, I don’t think there’s the enthusiasm [in Pro Stock] that there was ten of fifteen years ago. Whether that is manifested by the sanctioning body or what I don’t know.
“Standing back and watching internally, it just doesn’t look as exciting.”
These were words coming from a drag racing veteran who scored his most recent victory last May in St. Louis when three of his four final round opponents suffered mechanical failures enabling him to score an improbable victory.
“That was the case where all of the stars were aligned and happened once in a lifetime,” Johnson admitted.
And, if those same moon and starts line up, he’ll be back next season to race.
“We’ll have to look at it from a financial standpoint,” confirmed Johnson. “If we can drum up the financial support we need to race successfully. We’ve kind of pulled back the last few years because the financial support hasn’t been there. But at the same time when I started this I looked at it as my vocation. When I retire from it, I am not going to be broke. I’m not going to go and spend money foolhardily to be competitive. I am sure if we spent enough we could be competitive. These cars run on money not gasoline. That’s any form of motorsports. If the support is there, we’ll be back. If not, we’ll see.”
CALL HIM MR. SPEED - Allen Johnson bettered his own track speed record and claimed the No. 4 spot after two qualifying sessions today at the 56th Annual Mac Tools Nationals.
Johnson recorded a 6.587-second pass at 209.75 mph in his Mopar Dodge Avenger in the first qualifying session today, bettering his record-setting 6.601/209.46 mark in Friday’s qualifying round and briefly claiming the top spot. Johnson’s car shutdown shortly after launching off the starting line during his second qualifying run, and he ended the day in the No. 4 spot.
“Setting the track speed record just shows how much power we have in these Mopar HEMI® engines,” said Johnson. “The car is really aero. That’s good. If we can just get it to stick the front half we’ll really light up the board.”
The Greeneville, Tenn. native, currently second in the Pro Stock standings, will look to move up during tomorrow’s two final qualifying sessions and capture his second No. 1 Qualifier Award at O’Reilly Raceway Park and his fifth of the season.
“We made a decent run this morning, not perfect,” said Johnson, in his 15th year driving a Mopar-powered Pro Stock car. “We were a little aggressive tonight, and the track seemed to be going away toward the back of the pack. Tomorrow morning might offer the best chance for a good run. It would be awesome to go out tomorrow, make a perfect run, take that top spot back and get the J&J Racing team ready for Monday.”
A NEW ATTITUDE – Rodger Brogdon secured the final berth in the Countdown to 1 during the last event of regular season by knocking off the defending world
champion Mike Edwards in the first round. Brogdon was pleased with making the playoffs but not in the manner in which it all came together at the last moment.In the time following the Brainerd race until this weekend’s NHRA U.S. Nationals, the team tested and triple-checked every component on the Attitude Apparel-sponsored Pontiac.
“We've done a lot of stuff team-wise,” Brogdon said. “The main thing we found what our problem was before Brainerd, our qualifying didn't show it, but on race day we were running decent. I think we'll be fine. I'd be surprised if we don't qualify in the top half all six races in a row. We should have a good six race run.”
Brogdon confirmed his team has been plagued throughout the season by “stuff” which crept up at the most inopportune times.
“It's kind of embarrassing,” Brogdon admitted. “Certain things got overlooked that shouldn't have by different people. We found them just in time for the Countdown. We can concentrate now on going fast instead of worrying why the car wouldn't go straight.”
Brogdon has a strong impetus for wanting to go fast this weekend outside of the championship implications. He’s running a new engine from Victor Cagnazzi which has been updated with his builder’s latest bells and whistles.
“If it is half of what Victor says it is, we'll be doing fine,” Brogdon said. “We've run this motor before, but it still needed some updates that they'd found. This is our favorite engine. We didn't want to do anything to it until it was time to freshen it up. So when it got freshened up they made the changes on it.”
Unfortunately for Brogdon, the first two days at the NHRA U.S. Nationals have fallen far short of his expectations. He is outside of the top 12 after three sessions with a 6.644, 207.98.
AN EFI FUTURE? – Some of Pro Stock’s veteran fraternity believes once NASCAR adopts electronic fuel injection in 2012, the NHRA won’t be far behind. 
One drag racing veteran is one of those who can see the major move on the factory hot rod horizon.
“NHRA will certainly follow,” Johnson explained. “They certainly tried the truck program. That didn’t pan out.”
Johnson, who has described the Pro Stock as not as exciting as it used to be, believes such a move could lend the missing action to the eliminator.
“It would bring back some of that excitement,” Johnson admitted. “If anything it would bring the class back to being somewhat up to date.”
Bringing in EFI would eliminate the need for hood scoops and return the cars to a more stock appearing configuration.
“Of the current professional cars, our Pro Stocker best resemble what you are going to drive on the street,” Johnson said. “Maybe that would be an attraction for the spectators.”
Johnson is known as the Professor of Pro Stock for his penchant to analyze situations and wring every ounce of obtainable horsepower out of an engine.
“The advancement of every class in drag racing is only limited to the amount of thought and effort put in by every competitor,” explained Johnson. “Certainly the gains today are marginal as compared to 20 years ago. But, because of that, you have to work a lot harder and think a LOT harder.”
“You have to work on it from front to back and side-to-side, not necessarily more time on the dyno.”
As for advancement, Johnson has three more years of use, out of five mandated by the rulebook, for his Pontiac GXP in NHRA Pro Stock.
“We are already two years into that and have a good, solid three years left,” Johnson said. “By that time, who knows where the GM body will go. We have the Camaro. But, at this time, it really doesn’t look like a good race car. If that’s what we need to use in the future then so be it.”
Bear in mind, Ford’s Mustang wasn’t a good aerodynamic choice when the body style was introduced without factory support. The NHRA allowed a revision of the body style to bring the Mustang into line aerodynamically with the GM and Mopar body styles.
“The NHRA’s tech department looked at it with what I call a “box theory” where the width is set, the width is set … the length is somewhat debatable. There is a set overhang, set width and set height. The frontal area of these cars are the same. The shape is efficient on most of these vehicles. You have to realize the factories are utilizing these vehicles in their production form and they have to have decent aerodynamics for fuel efficiency. That plays a part in it. Most of the cars are aerodynamically alike when compared to ten years ago.”
Johnson understands the fans need to be able to recognize the cars and cheer for their favorite manufacturer.
“Fans need to be able to identify with the cars out there, a problem NASCAR has,” said Johnson. “With the Car of Tomorrow all they did was change headlight graphics and the name on the windshield. People either cheer for the vehicle or the driver. That’s the only two they cheer for … they don’t cheer for the NHRA.
“Each driver has an identity but if the cars become vanilla then we have a problem.”
A FREE T-SHIRT – Warren Johnson received a gift from his nitro adversary Jim Head. Head debuted a new t-shirt for the Indy weekend and wanted Johnson to 
have the first one.
After all, Head says, “He inspired it.”
Emblazoned on the back of the shirt was the likeness of the late Ray Charles, a blind blues singing legend.
The shirt reads, “Ain’t nothing to it, even a blind cat can do it.”
Johnson was quoted on ESPN2 as saying Ray Charles could drive a nitro car in his current state. The Pro Stock veteran was frustrated by what he and his fellow eliminator racers deemed as unacceptable track conditions for their cars.
Johnson got a chuckle out of Heads gesture but took the moment to explain his words were taken out of context initially.
“If they would have listened to what I said; I said it didn’t take any particular talent to drive one,” Johnson explained. “I didn’t say they didn’t have any talent. You look at Cruz Pedregon, he’s driven dirt cars. Ron Capps has driven a variety of dirt cars and has been successful. Doug Kalitta has run sprint cars. There is a lot of talent over there. The point of my whole tirade was to get the track conditions fixed.”
The tirade earned Johnson multiple invitations to drive nitro cars. He hasn’t turned down their offers.
“I possibly would but I got kinda concerned when they said, ‘we’ll take care of you,” Johnson said with a hearty laugh.
BLAME IT ON … US – Multi-time Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson isn’t passing the buck on missing the cut in Friday’s qualifying. 
“I had a self-induced electrical malfunction would be the best way to describe it,” Anderson explained. “We just made a mistake. The car went about thirty to forty foot and just shut right off. The good news is it's an easy fix. We just have to get the hunk of dumb a** out of the picture and we'll be fine.”
Anderson launched hard in Friday’s single professional qualifying at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. The end result was a major wheel stand and a car that was tough to tame.
“I made a mistake and I paid for it,” Anderson admitted. “I lost a run. You hate to ever lose a run, especially at Indy. It's kind of a heart breaker. The good news is for thirty foot it was on a good run. There really was nothing wrong with the car. It didn't shake the tires, didn't wheel stand too bad. It was just flat an electrical problem with the motor. I made a mistake when I put it together.”
The U.S. Nationals is the only race on the tour where professional drivers are afforded five qualifying attempts. Losing one session should put a racer on track with a normal event, but on Saturday, Anderson wasn’t feeling the consolation.
“Bottom line I lose one run compared to the rest of the competitors,” he explained. “It's water under the bridge right now. I've got nobody to blame but myself. I've already beat myself up enough about it.”
Anderson rebounded with the eighth quickest run of the day, a 6.602, 209.20.
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - EDWARDS AND ANDERSON IN A REAL BATTLE, GLIDDEN CLOSE BUT NOT CLOSE ENOUGH
COUNTDOWN, GAME ON FOR MIKE EDWARDS – Mike Edwards admitted he came into this weekend’s NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis down on horsepower 
and equally down on confidence. Once again, the defending Pro Stock series champion pulled a rope-a-dope on the media and the Pro Stock contingent.
Edwards drove his Pontiac to the top of the qualifying list during Friday’s lone qualifying session with a 6.596 at 208.46.
“This was a great run, a great start for us,” said Edwards, whose run if it stands would be his 12th pole of 2010. “I was really concerned with the trouble some of the cars were having off of the line early in the session.”
Worried or not, Edwards admitted, “It made a fast run, it could have been a little bit better.”
Edwards had every reason to run quick on Friday. The eight-time winner in 2010 made the most of his off-time between Brainerd and this weekend’s Countdown to 1 championship battle going over his Pontiac GXP with a fine-tooth comb.
For Edwards, Friday at Indy represented “game on”. Last year his game went on in Charlotte, the 2009 launch to the playoffs, and it never relented.
“We won the first season and now we have to see if we can get the second season,” Edwards said. “You can't win (the title) the first race, but you can sure get in the hole the first race. Just like Charlotte last year. We went in there and won that race. You get momentum and confidence. The first race is really, really big.”
Edwards entered the event on the heels of a stinging first-round loss to Rodger Brogdon at the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals.
“We've just been struggling,” Edwards admitted. “We've tried a couple things on the West Coast, but that was only for a run or two. We've been struggling ever since Norwalk. We come into this race a little down on power. We've had some stuff happen but we'll see what we can do.”
Edwards admits the biggest obstacle to even more wins has been the occupant of the cockpit at times.
“Our struggles? Most of the time, the only time that car loses, it's me,” Edwards pointed out. “It depends on what I do. If I drive good our chances are really good; if I don't then we probably won't win.”
And for Edwards, the rope-a-doping continues into the Countdown.
IT’S NOT HIS FIRST RODEO – Bob Glidden’s return to the Indianapolis quarter-mile resembled something more like a rodeo than a traditional run in a Pro 
Stocker. As the first car out in the first session of NHRA U.S. Nationals qualifying, Glidden launched and immediately the car swerved to the right before the ten-time champion finessed the bucking Mustang back into the groove for a 6.78 elapsed time.
With nine Indy victories in 15 final rounds, how did the ten-time NHRA Pro Stock champion prepare for his first Indy since retiring from active competition in 1994?
Just like any other race. His full thrust of preparation went into the car.
“You just get up like you get up every morning; go to the racetrack and do what you need to do and that's it,” admitted Glidden.
No mental psyche, no physical fitness and no meditation.
“Well, I'm too old to exercise,” he said with a chuckle. “If I did I wouldn't be able to come to the track and I'm not smart enough to think. If I don't think I can't get in trouble.”
But, sometimes opening his mouth can lead to a sticky situation. According to car owner Jim Cunningham, on the Tuesdays following national events he could always count on a call from Glidden.
“Yeah, I’d get back on Tuesday and he’d call regularly,” Cunningham said.
Glidden would call Cunningham to ask him why he couldn’t drive. The two older gentlemen would then exchange pleasantries of the unprintable kind, including a few f-bombs.
“Then I told him he needed to come down here and make it run instead of calling me,” Cunningham added. “I talked to him on a Saturday and told him he needed to come to the shop on Monday. By chance my wife and I rode by the shop on Sunday, and there he was sitting in the car. He told me he’d been waiting for three hours already.”
Glidden looked over the shop and met with the team and the two agreed on a deal. However, when it came to money, Cunningham had one stipulation – Glidden had to drive.
“I figured if he was going to call me up and criticize my driving, I wasn’t going to be there to get yelled at by him in person,” Cunningham said with a smile. “He was going to have to drive.”
After a few runs in the car, Cunningham smiled as he pointed out Glidden came back and apologized.
Make no mistake about it, Glidden is having the time of his life. And even better, he’s got a young core group to pass on a bit of the Glidden expertise.
“Jim's got some really good people,” said Glidden. “Marcus isn't as young as the other guys; but Brandon and Dean and Joe – they're all young people and gung-ho, ready to go after it.”
Cunningham’s reward for doing this deal is simply having one of the greatest drivers in Pro Stock history in his camp.
“I think this is great and I am excited just having him around,” Cunningham explained. “I hope we are the best kept secret in drag racing. Bob says five races and we’ll be right up there with them. I believe him too. He’s already made a big step forward.”
Glidden was 19th quickest among 29 who made qualifying attempts; .129 seconds out of 12th.
ON THE OUTSIDE – Two Countdown to 1 qualifiers are on the outside looking in after the first day of qualifying. Greg Anderson and Rodger Brogdon were unable to make the 6.653 cut anchored by Larry Morgan, who qualified 12th quickest.
Anderson got off to a rough start when his Summit Racing Equipment-sponsored Pontiac launched hard and went skyward forcing him to lift. He then bypassed the scales drawing a DQ for his efforts.
Brogdon, driving a rejuvenated Attitude Apparel’s Pinstonator Pontiac GXP, was 15th with a 6.657, 206.52 missing the cut by .004.
Five drivers had 6.65 elapsed times.
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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - THE MAD DOG IS COMING, BOB GLIDDEN WILL RACE INDY
HE'S B-A-A-A-A-C-C-C-C-K-K-K-K - The excitement in Bob Glidden’s voice told the story.
The ten-time NHRA Pro Stock champion and nine-time Indy winner, after a successful test with Jim Cunningham’s Mustang Pro Stocker will compete in this weekend’s NHRA U.S. Nationals.
“This was a pretty big deal for me just getting to drive this car,” admitted Glidden, who was en route from Martin, Mich., to Indianapolis on Wednesday afternoon.
Glidden spent two days testing at U.S. 131 Dragway where he pointed out from the onset his inclusion in this weekend’s event would be predicated by how he felt driving the car.
While driving the car was a blast, Glidden confirmed he had no flashbacks to the days when he raced a Pro Stock Fairmont.
“There were some things we needed to fix with the car, and I relayed that to the crew,” Glidden explained. “It was pretty horrible and on the verge of being undriveable. We took some major steps in taking this car to the point where it will drive good.”
Then Glidden paused and the emotions flowed freely.
“It was a pretty awesome feeling,” Glidden said. “I had a blast. I certainly didn’t dream of something like this. I was just so excited to do a burnout that I couldn’t stand it.”
Glidden made ten full passes over the course of two days and netted a best 6.730 at 205 miles per hour.
“I know the speed isn’t that good but on each run, the car got a little bit better,” Glidden said. “We can still use some horsepower but Jim Cunningham has a good team here with fresh ideas.”
And for Glidden, that was all he needed for a racing rebirth.
PERFECT TIMING - Defending U.S. Nationals champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. enters this weekend's "Big Go" as the hottest driver in the Pro Stock ranks, having raced to two victories in three final-round appearances at the last three races on the NHRA schedule. With the 2010 Countdown to the Championship beginning at this event, Coughlin knows the timing couldn't be better for his JEGS.com race team.
"We wanted to make sure we started the playoffs on a roll so we're very pleased with our performance over the last six weeks," Coughlin said. "What's really exciting is that we ran great and won the race in Sonoma, which is down at sea-level, and then turned right around and had a runner-up result in Denver, which is a mile high. We followed that up with another win in Brainerd, so the guys are really showing their stuff right now.
"If you're a drag racer, you don't need anything to pump you up for Indy. This is the granddaddy of them all and has been since the start. Now that the NHRA has added the start of the Countdown into the mix it's going to be all-time. I'm getting excited just talking about it."
Coughlin has a history of running well at ORP. He's a five-time winner at the track, adding Pro Stock wins in 2000 and 2002 to last year's title, and he bagged a Super Gas victory back in 1992. Coughlin also won the prestigious HEMI Challenge at this event.
"I'm a Division 3 racer so we've been racing Indy for many, many years," said Coughlin, a four-time winner in 2010. "I even remember coming here with my dad when he was racing because this was one of the tracks that was close enough to home (near Columbus, Ohio) that we could race all weekend and still drive home Sunday night so we didn't miss any school.
"This time Pop will be here helping us get the JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt ready for action. He'll also be assisting my brother Troy in Pro Mod, my nephew Troy Jr., who is racing in Super Comp, and my fiancé Samantha Kenny, whose also racing Super Comp. We're going to take in as much of the Indy experience as possible.
THE MOPAR CONTENDER - Allen Johnson begins the NHRA’s playoffs second in the standings, only 30 points and six races separating him from his first NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock championship. The Mopar Dodge Avenger driver feels this year might represent his best chance at the title entering the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Sept. 1–6 at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.
“We’re excited about it, the little journey we’re about to go on,” said Johnson, who captured his eighth career Pro Stock win in July at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals. “We look forward to it. We consider the title fight a real challenge, and probably for the first time I think we’ve got a really good shot at the championship.”
Johnson’s confidence is well-founded. The J&J Racing team owner and driver has had a hot hand in the recent past at Indy, claiming the No. 1 Qualifier Award at the 2008 U.S. Nationals. Johnson is also in the midst of the strongest year of his career, earning four final-round appearances and four No. 1 Qualifier Awards (both career highs) with six races still remaining in the season.
“Indy has always been a track that has been really good to us,” said Johnson. “We seem to do well there. Every time we go to Indy, it’s huge. It’s one of the classic races that everyone wants to win and get their name in the books.”
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