2010 NHRA U.S. NATIONALS - SPORTSMAN NOTEBOOK
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TIME TO TAKE A BREATH - Shawn Langdon had one heck of a weekend. 
It was hectic, for sure, but boy was it ever worth it. Driving his Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster and wheeling the Super Comp car owned by Jim Hughes, Langdon started picking up round wins early and just kept going – all the way to the final in the 9.90 class.
Langdon was, of course, excellent on the tree throughout eliminations, clocking .017, .015, .006, .007, and .019 lights before putting an uncharacteristic .050 in the record books in the semifinals next to Craig Maddox, who fouled out by .033. In the final, he was .010 to David Tatum's .009 but ran closer to the index for the win, 9.220 to 9.930.
“This was the one thing left on my resume that I really wanted to do in the sportsman classes,” said Langdon, a two-time Super Comp world champ-turned Pro. “I wanted to win Indy, and it had alluded me for quite some time.”
Langdon enjoyed some success in his Top Fuel dragster as well. He beat Antron Brown in the first round on a holeshot and picked up another win over a broken Brandon Bernstein in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual event winner Larry Dixon in the semifinals.
“It got a little hectic today,” recalled Langdon. “Fortunately, we were able to go some rounds in the Top Fuel car, too. Stew [Jon Stewart, crew chief], hopped in the car, and I don't even know if the thing warmed up right, but they got it working. We got back up there for the semis and just lost a good race to Larry. It was nothing to hang our heads about because we ran real well.
“We were going rounds and running back and forth, and every time I'd come up here I'd see the smile on [girlfriend] Jessica's face, and she'd tell me she loves me. It made it all worth it. This win is better than anything.
“Thanks to Hughes Performance, Jim Hughes, and Kevin Kleinweber. They made it happen for me this weekend and were behind me 100%. I also have to thank Lucas Oil and everybody that is behind me. This is Indy, so this Wally is going front and center on the mantel.”
FINAL ROUND REPORTS
Top Alcohol Dragster – Marty Thacker is out of the gate with a stellar .003 reaction and keeps ahead of Shawn Cowie for a 5.415 to 5.488 victory to collect his second Indy win.
“This is better than the first,” said Thacker. “As I get older, I learn to appreciate these things so much more. There are millions of people who dream of doing this kind of stuff. I get to do it, and it's all because of my crew, my family, god above, all these NHRA fans, the sponsors who come out here and give us support. Spitzer Race Cars just gives us a Cadillac. I'm going to put a radio in it and drive it around town tonight.
“It's been a frustrating year. We run good and the driver makes errors. We run good but we have freak little things that break. If anything could save the year, it might be a U.S. Nationals win.”Top Alcohol Funny Car – Double takes abound as Tony Bartone pulls up to the starting line next to Jay Payne. Bartone shook the tires and lost in the semi's to John Bojec, but Bojec came up light at the scales and was disqualified. Payne sails ahead and turns on the win light when Bartone shudders and shakes. He's been a winner here before in Pro Mod, but this is the first Indy win in Top Alcohol Funny Car for Payne.
“We've struggled here a lot, but we had a great weekend here this weekend,” said Payne. “I have to thank FireIce and our crew. They are the ones who work relentlessly.
“The easiest round we had was when Fred Hagen didn't show up, and he probably would have kicked our rear ends. If we'd have been in Vegas, we would have won 40 grand this weekend because we were just lucky. Our car wasn't the fastest, we were just the luckiest.”
Comp – Turbo charged Bruno Massel throws it all away at the starting line with a -.001 reaction and Al Ackerman gets the automatic win. Ackerman is the incoming points leader.
“I just wanted to look at the yellow light and leave at the right time,” said Ackerman. “This is great. I wasn't planning on coming to Indy and Lee Zane kind of twisted my arm. He said, you won a lot of races and you need to go out there and gain points. I didn't think I could do it and he was right.”
Super Stock – Jimmy DeFrank is a smidge better at the tree and it makes the difference at the top end; he earns a long-coveted win at the biggest event of the season with a final round defeat of Irvin Johns.
“To be honest, I cried down there first, then I went into shock,” said DeFrank. “This was one of the things that I really wanted to accomplish, and we have a lot more to go. We've won some world championships, and this was the biggest thing left to do. I'm so grateful to be up here today.
“I'm very blessed to even accomplish a win, and to do it at Indy is awesome. I'm so thankful because I get to have my mom and dad here; what a great feeling.”
Stock – Brad Burton turns on a .013-second red light, sending '97 Firehawk pilot Tim Bishop straight to the winner's circle. It's the first national event win for Bishop.
“I've been trying to do this for 45 years,” said Bishop. “There were lots of tough competitors, but when I got past Dan Fletcher, I saw that win light, and I said, that's it, I got him! He took out my best friend at a points race at Atco, so I got him back for that and I knew I was going to the final.
“When I made it to the turn around up there at the top end, and guys like Jeff Taylor come up and congratulate me for winning in a stick car, and that was a big deal for me.”
Super Gas – Shawn Langdon didn't go as far as he would have liked in Top Fuel competition this weekend, but he scored big in Super Gas with a closer to the index 9.922 to David Tatum's 9.930.
“This is impressive,” said Langdon. “This is what it's all about. [This is my] hometown, so I had all my friends and family out here. I'm not really the most well-spoken guy, so they take you to these classes to learn to talk, and then you win Indy and you're just flat out speechless.”
Super Comp – Troy Coughlin Jr. becomes the sixth member of the Coughlin family to go to a final at the prestigious event, and he follows through with an 8.921 to 8.954 victory over Don O'Neal.
“To win this race, it's just hard to describe,” said Coughlin, a former Jr. Dragster racer. “This means a lot and we'll definitely be celebrating all week. With the help of Kenny Underwood, my dad, my sister Megan, Uncle Jeg, Uncle Mike, Uncle John, I could just about make it anywhere.”
MONDAY NOTEBOOK - QUICK HITS - RACE REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION
Comp, Semifinals – Shawn Vincent fouls by .009, and Al Ackerman is going to the final, where he will meet Bruno Massel, who is nearly even off the starting line but better at the finish line stripe than his opponent, Joey Tanksley.
Super Gas, Semifinals – David Tatum defeats Tommy Stalba by a mere three-thousandths and will be meeting Shawn Langdon in the final, who earned his own trip to the money round when Craig Maddox illuminated a -.033 red-light.
Stock, Semifinals – Tim Bishop adds a bullet point to his resume when he knocks out Dan Fletcher by seven-thousandths with a dead-on pass. Brad Burton will be his final-round challenger after showing prowess on the launch with a .008 and then following through at the top end to get in the way of John Gray's path to the final.
Super Stock, Semifinals - Charlie Bohannon is a cool .009 to Irvin John's .016, but Bohannon breaks out and Johns wins. Jimmy DeFrank overcomes Byron Latino's quicker starting line reaction in their heads-up match for the victory.
Super Comp, Semifinals – Young Troy Coughlin Jr. puts together an excellent package and stops
James Majkowski. In the money round, Troy Jr will take on Don O'Neal – who had a bye run in the semifinals.
Comp, Round Four – Alan Ellis, Kevin Self, and Buddy Perkinson are all seeing red and Joey Tanksley, Shawn Vincent, and Al Ackerman get freebies. Bruno Massel, the reigning Comp Eliminator champion, drives his turbo Cobalt to a win over Jay Billingsly.
Stock, Round Five – Brad Burton wins a double-breakout over Joey Wilkes, Edmond Richardson sours what would have been a fantastic match with Dan Fletcher when he fouls by .005, Tim Bishop is the victor in a double-breakout with Gary Emmons, and John Gray wins a double-breakout over Steve Polhill.
Super Gas, Round Five – David Tatum is better at the top end to beat Sheldon Gecker in their double-breakout match and then former Pro Stock heavy-hitter Dave Connolly breaks and sends Top Fuel sophomore Shawn Langdon ahead without much of a challenge. Craig Maddox and Jerry Debusk both breakout, but Maddox by a lesser margin for the victory, and a red-light by Rock Haas sends Tom Stalba to the semifinals.
Super Stock, Round Five – Jimmy DeFrank had the better car during qualifying, and Scott Stillings takes a shot at the tree and misses. Chris Chaney is also red in the next pair, gifting Irvin Johns with the round win. Lincoln Morehead fouls out by three-thousandths and then punctuates it with a huge wheelstand; his opponent, Byron Latino, will meet DeFrank in the semifinals. Charlie Bohannon clocked a killer .002, not too far from red, and took it to a win over Sal Biondo.
Super Comp, Round Six – Cory Baker is .006 at the tree but took too much stripe, and Don O'Neal gets the nod. Troy Coughlin Jr. is the victor in a double-breakout match with Brian Forrester, and James Majkowski takes a single run.
Top Alcohol Funny Car, Semifinals – Chris Foster's awesome weekend comes to an end at the hands of a quicker Jay Payne, and John Bojec is .003 on the launch and 5.557 at the top end to stop tire-shaking No. 1 qualifier Tony Bartone.
Top Alcohol Dragster, Semifinals – It's an all-supercharged semifinal, with Marty Thacker recording a .011 start and then taking it to a win over Darren Nicholson. In the next pair, Chris Demke bangs the blower, tosses the 'chutes, and watches Shawn Cowie race to a winning 5.295 at 270.32 for lane choice in the final.
Top Alcohol Funny Car, Round Two -John Bojec makes his best run of the weekend to advance, and Chris Foster upsets Micket Ferro.
Steve Harker struggled with clutch issues in qualifying, but this matchup with No. 1 qualifier Tony Bartone is one he is well qualified for. Harker keeps him honest, but Bartone gets the win.
Jay Payne was scheduled to run Fred Hagen Jr., but Hagen discovered a problem with the engine this morning and had to swap it. Unfortunately for him, it appears as though they ran out of time. Hagen is a no-show and Payne gets a single.
Top Alcohol Dragster, Round Two - Shawn Cowie and Darren Nicholson advance before Marty Thacker and Bill Reichert pull into the water box as a well-matched pair. Thacker is first to launch and carries it to the win.
They are just two-thou apart at the hit, but No. 1 qualifier Chris Demke continues his excellent weekend in his blown car putting Mike Kosky on the trailer.
Super Stock, Round Four - Jeremy Duncan, Michael Mans, Gene Bichlmeier, and Anthony Bertozzi foul out, so Irvin Johns, Sal Biondo, Byron Latino, and Charlie Bohannon get free passes to the fifth round.
Lincoln Morehead advances, as does Chris Chaney, Jimmy DeFrank, and Scott Stillings, who got a lucky break when Todd Patterson's Mustang rolled through the beams.
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - FIRST ROUND A BARN BURNER
SPORTSMAN CLASSES COMPLETE FIRST ROUND - The Alcohol classes had one final shot to break into the field or improve before round one of the Mac Tools 
U.S. Nationals kicked off on Sunday afternoon, and folks came with guns loaded. The final 16 emerged and the thrilling battle for a title earned at The Big Go ensued.
The Top Alcohol Dragster competition began with Duane Shields and Marty Thacker recording identical 5.377s, but Thacker was .029 at the tree to Shields' .042 for the win. Shawn Cowie was a bit off his game on the launch but managed to get around Buddy Domingue, and Ken Perry's red-light start helped Mike Kosky win with a slower e.t.
Darren Nicholson was second off the starting line but first to the finish when Jim Whitely slowed, and Mike Manners smoked the hides at the hit, sending Randy Meyer ahead to round two. Chase Copeland clocked top speed of the meet, 276.63, in a winning effort over Dave Heitzman.
Bill Reichert and Chris Demke won their respective matches with Brandon Pierce and Robin Samsel.
In Top Alcohol Funny Car, Steve Harker, who struggled some in qualifying, got the nod over Vern Moats in the first pair out, and then Chris Foster defeated Brent Henry, 5.672 to 5.677. Fred Hagen overcame a .091 to .054 reaction in his meeting with Brian Harvanek, and Jay Payne automatically advanced when Cassie Simonton shook and then crossed the centerline, subjecting herself to a disqualification.
Thomas Carter blew a burst panel and slowed to help John Bojec to a round-win, and John Lombardo Jr. made his best run of the weekend, a 5.709, to send Alexis De Joria home empty-handed after she slowed at half track.
Mickey Ferro came close to the wall but stayed off of it after a .099 launch to Larry Dobbs' way late .243 and scored with a 5.592 to 5.818, and Tony Bartone earned the final win of the round with a near miss. Bartone's opponent, Rick Cortino, was first off the starting line but forfeited his lead early then got it back at around 300 feet when Bartone lost traction and had to pedal. Bartone got the tires to grip and raced ahead to see a winning 5.676 to 5.936 on the scoreboards.
Eliminations in the sportsman classes will continue on Monday, with the second round of the alcohol classes, the fourth round of Comp, round five of Stock, Super Gas, and Super Stock, and the sixth round of Super Comp.
CLASSIC - Dennis Keck came to Indy with a cool '27-T built originally for Super Gas by Ron LemMon. The car won the Division 5 championship twice – 1984 and 1988 – with LemMon driving it. Keck bought the car in El Dorado, Kan., in 2003 from a different owner and didn't know the whole story until he was approached by a group of fans four years ago at the Las Vegas event.“They were all standing around looking at it, and they started telling me all about it,” said Keck. “I just bought the car because I liked the looks of it, and I left it alone except for the updates to keep racing it.”
Keck was at Indy in the 1960s helping out the Inwood Racing team on their Super Stock Ford Thunderbolt, and he moved to Wyoming and put drag racing participation on hold from 1970 to 2003, when the purchase of the car brought him back to the sport as a driver.
NO FUN – Top Alcohol Dragster driver Ken Perry was trying hard to improve on his qualifying time but had a mishap near the 1,000-foot marker after dropping a couple of pistons. The result was a heartbreaking spewing of oil that no driver is pleased to see pouring from his engine.
“I went straight down the racetrack [on the qualifying run], it started going lean in second gear, and I could feel it nose under a little bit so I started feathering it up. It oiled up at the end, but I pulled the 'chutes and went through the first turnoff, exactly as a good driver is supposed to do.”
Perry, who qualified 8th in the field, thrashed to prepare for the first round of eliminations but then fouled out by .095 in the first round.
DECISION TIME – Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Rick Cortino and his crew made a tough decision in the final round of qualifying after seeing that they had already secured a place in the first round. The conditions were ripe to improve, but with the No. 16 position already in their pocket, they pulled out of the staging lanes and headed back to the pits with their D3 Outdoor Firebird.
Team member Jim Pyfer said, “Rather than hurt any parts and with the feeling that we weren't going to drastically move up, we just decided to go ahead and pull out and be happy that we were in the show at Indy. The plan is to be happy with that and come back re-enthused, excited for the first round. It's pretty exciting for the team to be able to race at Indy.”
KISSES, NOT THE GOOD KIND – It looked like John Lombardo Jr. got super close to the wall in his last qualifying pass, and it turns out that it was closer than it appeared; Lombardo kissed the wall with his NAPA Auto Parts Monte Carlo near the 330 marker and the run was disqualified.
“It wasn't a perfect run anyway,” said Lombardo, who shook and spun before the little incident. “But it barely touched the wall and we just had to replace a decal.”
BYE, BYE INDY – The final round of qualifying for the alcohol classes took place earlier in the day. John Hart, Wayne Butler, and Don Devault found themselves headed home without a chance at Indy glory in Top Alcohol Funny Car, and in Top Alcohol Dragster, Dave Hirata, Jared Dreher, Brandon Booher, Mark Taliaferro, Brian Mans, Jerry Powell, Brandon Greco, and Tony Quinn were just a bit shy of making the field.
ULTRA COMPETITIVE – Blown or injected, it really didn't seem to matter; the Top Alcohol Dragster field was incredibly tight. Chris Demke lead the pace with a 5.256 and Robin Samsel rounded it out with a 5.429; sandwiched in the middle were four drivers with 5.30s. Chase Copeland, in the No. 3 position, came into eliminations on a 5.300 and Jim Whitely, out of the No. 6 spot, was 5.309 in qualifying.
INDY TEST – In an unusual move, Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Brian Harvanek came to Indy with a car minus an engine. The plan was to purchase an engine from Mickey Ferro upon arrival, and with that task accomplished, he set out to test his new horsepower maker during qualifying. Harvanek worked hard to get through the issues of a new piece and ultimately qualified 15th at the esteemed event.
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - DEMKE, BARTONE STEP UP BIG IN TOP ALCOHOL QUALIFYING
BARTONE UPS THE ANTE WITH CAREER BEST RUN - Centre Pointe Collision Center Mustang driver Tony Bartone took care of business and protected his perch atop the Top Alcohol Funny Car pack with a career best 5.498 at 261.37 mph in the final pass on Saturday. Bartone's 5.532 from the day before was, impressively, nearly a tenth quicker than then No. 2 qualifier Fred Hagen Jr.'s 5.626, but Hagen narrowed the gap, clocking a 5.550 to stay No. 2.
Steve Harker looked out of sorts the day prior with a pair of troubled runs that could produce no more than a 14-second mosey down the 1320, and the unsuccessful efforts had him on the outside looking in from the No. 17 position. Harker was able to take a breath of relief and all was rectified when he put a more characteristic 5.660 on the scoreboards for the provisional No. 7 spot.
Still not qualified heading into Sunday are Wayne Butler, Don Devault, and Larry Dobbs.
The quick 16 in the Top Alcohol Dragster field remained the same on the second day of qualifying, with Chris Demke leading the diggers in his Peen Rite Abrasive Finishing rail. Demke's 5.277 at 271.41 mph carried over from the previous day and held up to No. 2 qualifier and defending world champ Bill Reichert's 5.297, 267.27.
With 24 cars fighting for the 16 slots available for eliminations, Buddy Domingue, Brandon Booher, Brian Mans, Mark Taliaferro, Jerry Powell, Brandon Greco, Tony Quinn, and Brandon Pierce go into Sunday with one more shot at breaking into the field.
The Alcohol classes are still making their way through qualifying, but the other sportsman classes – except the Super Stockers, who had the day off for tear downs following class eliminations - are already whittling down the players in eliminations.
Comp is down to 32 cars after the first round, with No. 1 qualifier and first-round red-lighter Larry Pritchett among those headed home. And after an incredible first round of Stock that was the setting for the quickest Stock run in NHRA history – a 9.399 set by Don Fezell – the low qualifier in Stock Eliminator, DF/S driver Charles Blossom, was headed home with his cool convertible PT Cruiser.
Highlights in the Super Comp category included an exceptionally close race between Jeff Bell and Shannon Mingee in which Bell was .017 at the tree and 8.896 at the top end for the win over Mingee's .019 launch and 8.895.
Super Gas racers contested just one round today, their second round of eliminations. Still in the hunt are incoming points leader David Tatum and No. 3 in the world Mike Ferderer.
Sportsman eliminations are scheduled to resume Sunday morning, beginning with the third round for the Stockers, at 7:30 a.m.
CHRIS DEMKE'S INDY BLOG
A wise man once said, “Rome was not built in a day”. When it comes to today’s performance of the PEEN RITE Top Alcohol Dragster; we’ve still got plenty of opportunity to build on the momentum from last night’s number one qualifying performance.
The Maddern Racing team felt the conditions were right to lay down another solid 5-twenty pass and made, what we thought would be the appropriate change. We didn’t back it off enough from last night to match the raising track temp. We shook the tires pretty hard again. We threw the blower-belt and our transmission cracked. We put in our spare transmission and prepared to fire up the car before we left for the night.
The single Saturday Indy session usually gives me an opportunity to take a tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s museum. I’ve always been a car nut in general, and the opportunity to see the cars that have been an important part of racing history, is one of the best parts of competing at this event. However, due to the damage suffered during the run, we felt it was more important to prepare for tomorrow’s early qualifying session. So, the museum will have to wait.
Joining our racing family this weekend is fellow CleanBoost team-mate, Nitro Funny car driver James Day. James is one of the more diverse drivers out there, and he also knows every part and piece on these cars. Along with Adam Rhoades who is here with his son Kace, we have a great family presence in our Maddern Racing pit.
Oh by the way, my brother Mike celebrated his 29th birthday today for the 24th time! Way to go Mikey!
VERY QUICK – The first round of Stock saw the quickest run ever in Stock Eliminator history. Don Fezell clicked off a 9.399 at 132.79 mph in his AA/S '08 Mustang that bettered the previous quickest time, 9.48, also set by Fezell.
Although the time was exceptionally impressive, it was over a tenth under his 9.50 dial and was recorded as a breakout pass, and the round win went to his opponent, David Latino.
Also in the first round, Dempsey Pendarvis became the first C/SA driver to break into the 9-second zone with a 9.797 at 135.63 mph, and Irvin Johns was the first in the 9s for the D/SA class with a 9.983 at 133.78 mph.
THREE MORE YEARS – It was announced today that JEGS Mail Order would extend its title sponsorship of all three NHRA SPORTSnationals events through the 2013 season. The three-year agreement pertains to the JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, La.; the JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals at national Trail Raceway near Columbus, Ohio; and the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, Calif.
Scott Woodruff, Director of media and motorsports for JEGS Mail Order, alluded to a few surprises in the future.
“We feel like the NHRA SPORTSnationals, a premier brand in the sportsman community, is a perfect fit for JEGS Mail Order,” said Woodruff. “And going forward, we expect to add several new and exciting elements to the race program so that all three events could continue to grow in popularity and remain must-attend races on the sportsman calendar.”
Making the announcement at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals seems perfectly appropriate; Jeg Sr. runner-upped at the 1975 U.S. Nationals in the Pro Comp category, and all four of his sons have been in final rounds at the event.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU -
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - HEMI CHALLENGE WRAPS BIG INDY DAY
DANIELS NABS HEMI CHALLENGE WIN - Jim Daniels started off having a little bit of a bad day, but it all turned right when he scored the title in the NHRA Mopar Hemi Challenge competition.
At the conclusion of the parade of classic Hemis that would challenge one another for SS/AH honors, flames leapt from the engine compartment and Daniels dashed out of line to fix a problem with the intake. Daniels, a dentist by trade, put the fire out and used dental impression material to seal the intake because the five-minute drying time was much quicker than traditional silicone.
Sometimes I just want to pinch myself when I realize how lucky I am
to race a five-second, 270 mile per hour Top Alcohol Dragster. As the Jerry Maddern Racing PEEN-RITE team entered the gates of O’Reilly Raceway Park for first round qualifying our Sun Valley, Calif. based team sat number two in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series National Point standings, trailing the four-time champ Bill Reichert by 62 points. And although winning a World Championship is definitely on our mind, taking the Wally home this weekend is our first priority. For the first of four qualifying sessions at ORP, we decided to keep the same tune up in our blown alcohol rail from our Brainerd National event final round winning performance. We gripped it and ripped it but the difference in 20 degree track temperature produce a whole lot of tire shake and a sub-par mid seven second pass. With our humility in check, our engine “CONAN” unhurt, we were licking our chops for our Friday night session.
AND OH BABY WHAT A RIDE IT WAS.
As soon as I dumped the clutch, the car drifted to the right, I gave it a nudge to the left and I was headed towards the center line. I started thinking about lifting, and the dragster started to shake, then it rattled and 5.277 seconds and a career best speed of 271.41 miles per hour later, our CleanBoost Oil protected 471 cubic inch hemi rocketed to the TOP of a very tough 16-car field.
It’s good to be king for a day, but this is a marathon event. And tomorrow will be a whole new game.
Late to the staging lanes and likely with heart racing, Daniels geared up for a stellar performance that would include a slew of great reaction times and a consistent '68 Dart worthy of the title.
Daniels clicked off his worst light of eliminations during the opening round, a .030, but it was good enough, along with an 8.595, to get past Randall Warford and his 8.745. In the second round, Daniels took a holeshot win over Larry Perkins Sr. and his Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins powered '68 Barracuda. Third round, Daniels nabbed another holeshot win – this time over Jim Pancake – and earned a bye run into the final.
On the other side of the ladder, David Barton was socking away rosy victories over Lloyd Wofford (red light), Stephen Herbert (another red light), Wendell Howes (a third red light, as Barton clocked a very quick 8.498), and Tyler Hard (yet another foul start).
In the final, Daniels was .018 at the tree to Barton's .027 and put an 8.560 on the scoreboard to defeat Barton's quicker 8.559 on a holeshot.
Sportsman action during the day also included Super Stock class eliminations and the first round for both Super Comp and Super Gas. Top Alcohol Dragsters and Top Alcohol Funny Cars also made their Indy debut and at the conclusion of the second round of qualifying, Tony Bartone topped the floppers with a low 5.532 that was over a tenth quicker than No. 2 qualifier Fred Hagen Jr. Top Alcohol Dragster low qualifier was Chris Demke who went 5.277 at 271.41 mph.
Notably, the big Stock teardown reportedly included between 18 and 29 cars, and they all passed.
STAY CLASSY, WYOMING - Bill Owen, who resides near Flint, Mich., has won class at Indy before, but yesterday he scored the CF/S win to the delight of brand new car owner Jim Hardisty and Hardisty's partner and uncle, Jack. The group has been together about a month on the '00 Pontiac Grand Am that Owen previously drove for another owner.
“[Hardisty] is building a B/SA Camaro and I did a fuel injection system on that for him last winter, and he started talking about buying this car,” said Owen. “He asked me to go with him when he bought it and drive for him for the rest of the year.”
A wise choice for the Hardisty clan; not only has Owen had plenty of experience in the Grand Am, including setting national records in three different classes, but he was also the 1996 Division 3 Stock champion. His versatile driving experience spans in excess of 35 years and in the time period he has claimed at least eight class wins at The Big Go. Last year, Owen was elected to the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Next season, Hardisty and Jack are planning to run the car, which was originally equipped with a Mike Pustelny-built chassis, on their own, but Owen has a couple of irons in the fire.
“I have my '67 Camaro, and then I have two other offers. But this has been great. I love the competition,” said Owen. “In NASCAR, if you don't have two or three million, you can't even get into that program. But we can run at a national event level and compete with the bigger teams. And we can win.”
HEMI-SIZED BUMMER – The SS/AH '68 Barracudas of Charlie Westcott Sr. and Jr. were noticeably absent from the first round of the NHRA Mopar Hemi Challenge. The report is that both broke motors during qualifying yesterday and made the approximate three hour trip back to the shop in Michigan to make repairs last night but were unable to make it back in time for the first round.
The pair have dominated the Mopar competition in recent years; Westcott Jr. has won the Hemi Challenge in Indianapolis three times and scored the title in June at the Holley NHRA national Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, Ky., and Westcott Sr. was the defending event champion.
TUNED UP – Steve Dillman is sporting a banner for Indiana Rain, the new album by Sandy Kastel, on the side of his gorgeous black Super Gas '67 Chevy II. Kastel will also be singing the national anthem on Monday during the pre-race ceremony.
“Sandy's husband, Harold Stout, and I have been friends since we were about 18 years old,” said Dillman. “Sandy came out with her new album and wanted to know if I'd be interested in helping them promote it. It's really a win-win situation for us both; I get to race, and they can promote their album.”Dillman has been racing for more than a few years, and he said he was at the first race here at Indy.
“It was 1961,” recalled Dillman. “I raced here when we used flags and ran four abreast, long before Charlotte. Since then, I've run about all the sportsman classes except Comp.”
Dillman, who has a couple of wins at the divisional level and runner-upped at the NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus in 2006 in Super Street, counts winning the Moroso Five Day Bracket Championships in 2000 as the greatest accomplishment of his racing career so far.
Even without the image of Sandy Kastel on the side of his car, it's a beautiful piece to see in person, and it has sentimental value, too: it belonged to his brother who passed away in 1999, and Dillman sold his Super Comp dragster to purchase it after it had changed hands a couple of times. The shiny black little Nova is powered by a brand new 421-cid motor built by Steve Schmidt.
Racing is very much a family affair for Dillman, and his son, Ryan, was also running in Super Gas this weekend.
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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK -
A LEGEND JUMPS TO THE TOP OF SUPER STOCK - Thursday’s qualifying at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis saw the reemergence of a legend, well … 
kinda-sorta.
Todd Patterson, driving Brent Hajek’s Glidden & Allen tribute Mustang pushed the 2010 Cobra Jet Mustang to the No. 1 qualifying spot by running -1.076 under the SS/B index with an 8.824 elapsed time during the final qualifying session at O’Reilly Raceway Park.
A past Pro Stock Truck standout, Patterson displaced the previous low qualifier, Paul Adams, also driving a SS/B Ford.
Rounding out the top ten after three qualifying sessions were Irving Johns [GT/BA, 2008 Cobalt], Randy Hopkins [SS/AA, 2010 Cobra jet], Kevin Murphy [GT/MA, 1988 Cutlass], Jeff Taylor [GT/DA, 2010 Cobalt], Mark Nowicki [GT/EA, 1998 Avenger], Larry Schmidt [SS/PA, 1955 Chevy], Jeff Colvert [SS/G, 1969 Mustang] and Wes Leopold [SS/AS, 1993 Daytona].
Comp eliminator ran their first two sessions of the event and at the end of the day, the F/Econo Altered 1932 Bantam of Kevin Self jumped out to the early lead with a -.612 under his index effort. His elapsed time was a 7.918.
Despite a formidable challenge from the competition, no one was able to knock the Charles Blossom’s DF/S 2004 PT Cruiser from the top spot. Blossom ran a -1.826 under his index, a 13.774. - Bobby Bennett
SENTIMENTAL FAVORITE - Brent Hajek understands drag racing is more than horsepower and elapsed times. The veteran car collector from Ames, Ok, believes sentimentality is just as important in the equation.
At this weekend’s NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Hajek has adorned his 2010 Ford Cobra Jet with the legendary Glidden & Allen scheme made famous by ten-time Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden in the early 1970s.
This weekend, the SS/B-classified, 2010 Mustang is driven by Todd Patterson. After two sessions, Patterson was qualified 13th with a .914 effort under the class index.
“I thought it would be pretty cool considering this was the 40th anniversary of 1970 Mustang Glidden once drove,” said Hajek, who purchased the first of the 2009 Cobra Jet street/strip cars last year.
The Glidden & Allen tribute car is serial number one for the 2010 year.
“I just thought it would be a neat tribute to the man,” added Hajek. “I hope we can have some of the old Glidden & Allen magic.”
And as fate would have it, Glidden is coming out of retirement to drive Jim Cunningham’s Mustang Pro Stock this weekend. This is a sentimental moment not lost on Hajek.
“I’m hoping that he and Jim get that thing ironed out and would it be special if we could both be in the winner’s circle together,” Hajek beamed. – Bobby Bennett
FAREWELL - Indy will not be the same in the Top Alcohol Funny Car ranks this year without 13-time Lucas Oil champion Frank Manzo, whose father, Dominic, recently passed away. Attitude's CompetitionPlus.com extends its sincere condolences to the Manzo family for their loss.
PAPA TORRENCE - Take a walk through the sportsman pits and you might catch site of a Super Comp rail emblazoned with a familiar name in wicked-cool 
graphics.
The “Torrence” who pilots the car, though, isn't Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Fuel racer Steve Torrence, it's his dad, Billy.
“We've been racing as a family since Steve was 15 years old,” said Billy, who has also competed in Super Gas and Top Sportsman. “This is status quo.”
Indy is special, though, and this is only the third time that Billy has raced here. He's competing this weekend with his Kurt Damron-built Undercover Race Car powered by a Lewis Boyd engine.
“We used to race a lot together, but when Steve started running Top Fuel, I stopped racing as much,” said the Kilgore, Texas resident who has driven his Jerry Bickel Top Sportsman entry into the 6.40s at 220 mph. “I enjoy driving, especially Super Comp because of the camaraderie and the challenge of getting the car to run the index, but I probably enjoy watching Steve race Top Fuel more than anything. It's been a lot of fun.”
A PIECE OF THE ACTION – Notable race car builder Kurt Damron, who has been the man behind the world championship caliber rides of such racers as David Rampy, Edmond and Scotty Richardson, Gary Stinnett, Ron Erks, the Coughlin brothers, and 2000 U.S. Nationals Super Comp winner Glenn Julius, is getting back in the driver's seat at the revered event. Damron, who competes in Top Sportsman and Super Comp on a limited schedule, is making his season debut here.
“The first time I raced here was when I won the world championship in 1990,” said Damron. “I've raced here at Indy off and on since then, but I haven't won yet. I've gone four or five rounds. I'm here with a brand new car and we haven't tested at all, but it's doing about what I thought it would do.”
Damron got the racing bug and a boat load of inspiration from his father, Bud, who passed away in 2001. Damron's son, Kurt Jr., recently graduated from University of North Florida and is a third generation racer who is a multi-time division champion. Damron Jr. has doubled at a divisional event in Super Comp and Comp and collected a couple of final-round finishes at the national event level.
“I get a lot of gratification being out here,” said Damron. “I was raised in the sport, and seeing the cars that I build race successfully means a lot to me.”
Damron also plans to race the IHRA event in Epping, N.H., and the upcoming NHRA national events in Charlotte and Reading, as well as the JEGS SPORTSnationals in Columbus, Ohio.
PISTONATOR EXTRAVAGANZA -
WEEKEND SPONSOR - Defending NHRA Division 3 Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion Chris Foster plans to race this weekend with backing from DragRaceHose.com.
DragRaceHose.com, a distributor of Goodridge Hoses & Fittings, has been a major associate sponsor of the team since last season. It is owned and operated by team Crew Chief Will Hanna.
“My association with Foster Racing as a sponsor has really helped put DragRaceHose.com on the map,” stated Hanna. “If I was going to pick one race to step up and sponsor the team, it might as well be the biggest of them all, Indy. They have done a great job representing my company as an associate sponsor over the past two years along with the Goodridge deal we did earlier in the year. It’s a great deal for us because the racers are our target market.”
“We are very happy to work with DragRaceHose.com and Goodridge Hose & Fittings again this weekend,” Foster added. “We will also have Ken Juszczyk from Motorsports Unlimited and Jamie Noonan from Noonan Race Engineering (manufacturer of the X-1 cylinder head) as guests this weekend. Hopefully we can make a strong showing for them this weekend.”
NEW COLORS, SAME DESIRE – Rick Jackson’s Tony Bartone-driven Funny car will have a new look this weekend. This will be the first time in two months that 
the team has raced.
Jackson’s TAFC team has taken the past few months off to regroup in preparation for the home stretch of the 2010 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. The second half of the season begins this weekend at the 56th running of the Mac Tools NHRA US Nationals presented by Lucas Oil. The Centre Pointe Collision Center Ford Mustang TAFC team enters this weekend’s race currently occupying the 11th position in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series National point standings. However, the spirited bunch from Santa Clarita, Calif. along with their 31-time NHRA National Event champion driver Tony Bartone expect the new-look Centre Pointe/FireIce.com Mustang to compete for the event title at Indy.
“We’ve have not had our most sterling season to date in the first half of our 2010 campaign,” noted Bartone, who has captured Indy victories in Top Alcohol Funny Car twice. “Our car has run exceptionally consistent in our Divisional races, but we just haven’t been up to par at the National Events this season. Our boys always step it up when it counts, and as far as races are concerned, it just doesn’t get much bigger than “The Big Go”. With Steve Boggs making the tuning calls, and Lew, Chris, Scott, Javier and Rick turning the wrenches this weekend, we'll look to continue to improve each pass and hopefully walk out of here with another Wally."
Team owner Rick Jackson, is also ready to get back to competing with the best-of-the-best in the highly competitive TAFC division at Indy with the new-look Centre Pointe Mustang. “This color scheme is something entirely different for our race team,” noted Jackson. “The car looks fast with this solid color. Our crew has done a wonderful job getting the car ready to compete for the second half of our season, and nothing would make me happier than to return to our winning ways at Indy as we did in 2008.”
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WEDNESDAY NOTEBOOK - AND A P.T. CRUISER SHALL LEAD THEM ...
Charles Blossom’s Front Wheel Drive Machine Goes to the Top of Stock!
The first day of the 56th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals are in the books with the unlikeliest of racing combinations atop the 164-car Stock eliminator field.
Charles Blossom stormed to 13.900 elapsed time, -1.77 under the D/Front Wheel-drive Stock index to put over four tenths between his 146-inch Dodge powered PT Crusier, and the No. 2 qualifier Cory Bales, who runs an E/Stock Automatic 2009 Dodge Challenger.
Rounding out the top ten of Stock qualifiers in the 172-entry field is Dempsey Pendarvis [C/SA, 2009 Challenger], Jeff Teuton [G/SA, 2009 Challenger], Chris Holbrook [E/SA, 2010 Mustang], PB Candies [E/SA, 2009 Challenger], Irvin Johns [D/SA, 2009 Challenger], Steve Polhill [EF/S, 1982 Escort], Ronald Seibenick [EF/S, 1984 Topaz] and Don Fezell [AA/S, 2008 Mustang].
Leading the charge in the Super Stock division after one session is the classic Super Stock/B stick car, a '64 Ford Thunderbolt, of Paul Adams with an 8.845, -1.055 under his index. Adams edged out the GT/BA 2008 Cobalt of Irvin Johns by .003.
Rounding out the top ten qualifiers in the 100-car field are Randy Hopkins [SS/AA, 2010 Mustang], Kevin Murphy [GT/MA, 1988 Cutlass], Bobby Dennis [GT/MA, 1990 Calais], Eric Bell [SS/EA, 1970 Charger], Rock Haas [SS/DA, 2008 Mustang], PB Candies [SS/BA, 2010 Mustang] and Jeff Colvert [SS/G, 1969 Mustang].
The Super Comp and Super Gas divisions were afforded time trial runs on Wednesday.
Stock class eliminations begin at 8 AM on Thursday. Super Stock has two sessions and Competition eliminator has two.
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