EVENT NEWS EVENT NOTEBOOK POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS FINAL ROUND RESULTS			EVENT GALLERY

 

REMEMBER ME? – Dave Connolly took a breather from Pro Stock racing in 2009 and throughout most of 2010 and returned to his sportsman roots, and his contributions to the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series are paying off now that he has returned to the professional ranks.

Driving the Dave Connolly Racing Pro Stock Cobalt backed by sponsors including IDG, 3M, and Makita, Connolly squared off with longtime rival Greg Anderson in the final round of the Toyo Tools NHRA Nationals in Reading and emerged with a Pro Stock trophy in hand for the first time since beating then-teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the money round at the now defunct Virginia NRHA Nationals in 2008.

In the Maple Grove Raceway money round, Connolly was first off the starting line by two-thousandths, .024 to .026, and cashed in at the top end with a very narrow holeshot victory over three-time world champion Anderson, 6.580 to 6.579. The win was particularly impressive when the newness of Connolly's entire crew was taken into consideration.

"It was our goal to kind of make it interesting," said Connolly, who was competing in just his second Pro Stock event of the season. "This was a good race all together. We both had decent lights [in the final], and it could have gone either way, but it was just our turn to win this time.

"We knew when we started this program that there was only one place for us to go for technical support and that was Cagnazzi. They've had a lot of success in the past, and that's what we want. We hit the ground running pretty hard with a fresh group of guys who had never turned a wrench on a Pro Stock car. They go in there, and they're workaholics. A great group of guys and we're very fortunate to be working with them. They showed today that they may be rookies but they don't act like it. They hustled, got the car up there, and we were well-prepared every run. Knowing that I can have confidence in my ride, that makes my job a lot easier."

Connolly earned a start from the No. 6 spot with a qualifying-best 6.566 and then improved on it in the first round of eliminations with a 6.554 to put Ron Krisher on the trailer. In round two, Larry Morgan beat Connolly off the starting line, .023 to .030, but came up short at the top end with a 6.611 to the eventual winner's 6.559. Rookie of the Year candidate Shane Gray was next in line and Connolly disposed of him in the semifinals with a .016 to .035 reaction followed by a 6.597 to 6.609.

Anderson made his 94th final-round appearance at the event and his sixth of the 2010 season. A four-time finalist at Maple Grove Raceway, he has collected two wins at the historic track, the most recent being in 2006 when he defeated Greg Stanfield in the final. Though Anderson qualified in the bottom half, he picked up pace in eliminations and had the quickest car in every round, claiming low e.t. and top speed of eliminations with a 6.544 at 211.43 mph that also reset both ends of the track record. His road to the final included victories over Coughlin, Warren Johnson, and teammate Jason Line in the semifinals, where he took over the points lead from defending Full Throttle Series champion Mike Edwards. Anderson leaves Maple Grove Raceway with a 36 point advantage.

Connolly is looking forward to racing at the NRHA Finals in Pomona and may compete at the upcoming event in Las Vegas, but until then, he is simply thrilled to celebrate his latest accomplishment.

"It was an incredible weekend altogether and just to be out here is a lot of fun," said 22-time national event winner Connolly. "I definitely learned the last couple of years that you don't take anything for granted and just enjoy the weekends you do get out here. There are a lot of people who are less fortunate than I am. To come out here, especially with the hospitality, IDG, 3M, Makita, everyone that is involved, you pull into the pits and they're cheering you on and it makes it twice as special. My dad was here, and today is my mom's birthday so she wasn't able to make it, but she told me to bring back a trophy and we were able to do that for her, so happy birthday, mom.

"Winning never gets old, and Pro Stock is exactly where I want to be. It's fun to get out here and get to play and mix things up a little bit with these guys."

SECOND COUNTDOWN WIN FOR PEDREGON - Cruz Pedregon, in the Snap-on Toyota, stunned a full house of boisterous drag racing fans at Maple Grove Raceway for the NHRA Toyo Tires Nationals with a start to finish win over new Funny Car point leader Matt Hagan.

The win by Pedregon lessened the pain for all three of the Force Racing drivers who went out in the first round.

“We were flawless, with the exception of one round, and that is a credit to the team,” said Pedregon of his day. “Hagan had a little bit on everybody. I didn't think a 4.13 was going to win. We were going for broke because we thought that unless we could run a mid oh we knew this guy was going to send us packing. He must have had problems.”

Hagan did have some minor problems in the final round run.   

After he and Pedregon took off at the starting lights in the final, Hagan's DieHard Doge unexpectedly experienced tire shake. He quickly pedaled it in an attempt to regain traction, but was unable to recover in time, ceding the victory to Pedregon's 4.130/312.35 with a losing 4.242/301.13.

"There's nothing to complain about," said the 27-year-old Angus Cattle farmer from Christiansburg, Va. "I'm really, really proud of (crew chief) Tommy DeLago, (assistant crew chief) Glenn Huszar and the DieHard guys. They're doing a hell of a job out here. Everybody is handling the pressure well.

"I knew the conditions were getting pretty good out there and I thought we had it in the bag," he said of the final round. "But that's drag racing for you. We have a good race car. We went down the race track every single lap today except for the final, and that's just how it goes.

Even though Cruz is not one of the Countdown contenders his goal has been to influence the Countdown whenever he can.

“It's as satisfying as winning the race,” said Cruz when asked about his effects on the Countdown. “We're keeping score. My number one goal after Brainerd was to see how many points we can accumulate. I felt we had a car which could compete for a championship. I really feel like this is our mini championship.

“I told Matt and his dad, 'you guys are on the green, you just need to putt it in now.' “

Meeting Hagan in the final forced Pedregon to go for broke on the final run; not something he has wanted to do this year.

“It was everything but conservative,” admitted Pedregon of the final round run. “As good as Hagan was running; he made us push the issue.”

One positive of the Charlotte win and now this win is the doors they open.

“That is right,” agreed Pedregon about how winning attracts money, “(At the same time) we are not going to cry the blues. We have a good budget but not where we want to be. Winning is key. It has definitely opened up conversations.”

DIXON CLOSES IN ON TITLE - Like the sun setting over the hills of Eastern Pennsylvania which surround Maple Grove Raceway, the chances of catching Larry Dixon for the title of Top Fuel Champion are sinking fast for Cory McClenathan and Tony Schumacher.

With two events remaining, Dixon holds an 89-point lead over McClenathan and an 154-point lead over Schumacher.

Dixon, who is now 12 for 12 in final round appearances, said winning this race made up for the mistakes he made which led to a first round loss in Dallas at the last event.

“I can hardly wait to watch it on tv,” said Dixon, with a smile and chuckle of relief, when asked about his winning run in the post race press conference. “It's hell on the driver. You'd rather leave it to your car.

“At that point, I stepped on the throttle and immediately spun the tires. You're coming off the throttle and as your rolling back on you look in the other lane; he shot way out there and he kept going and then all of a sudden I could see him start to spin the tires.”

At that point Dixon mashed the throttle to the floor and the car hooked up. As McClenathan struggled to get his car back under power, Dixon roared past for the win.

“Our car just hooked up. I had such a run. When I saw the win light come on, I was laughing and couldn't believe it all at the same time, because that's a race you shouldn't win and we won.”

After coming to a stop Dixon exited his dragster arms pumping high in the air. This win, it turns out, was a bit of payback for the slip up in Dallas.

“I let the team down in the worst way a driver can (at the last race),” admitted Dixon. “I had a great horse and ran it right into the mud. So, I came back this week and wanted to be a better driver. I wasn't the best but I was a heck of a lot better than I was last race. I was wound up. Every once in a while when you don't have the perfect horse and it's on the driver and you can win those rounds for the team, from a driver's standpoint it makes you feel good.”

Dixon could have easily given up on the run, but he didn't.

“Initially, your in your car and in your lane. You leave the tree and whoop it smokes the tires. You're coming off the throttle. At that point as soon as you come off the throttle you are trying to gauge … where is the other guy. As soon as you see him smoke the tires you just finish the job and hope its enough.”

Dixon now has slightly more than a four round lead over McClenathan with just eight rounds of racing remaining. He isn't counting the chickens but the henhouse is looking mighty tempting.

“I would rather be 90 up than 90 down,” admitted Dixon.

HINES GETS IT DONE – For seven consecutive events Andrew Hines has been to the final round, but after being humbled for three consecutive races by Rookie of the Year competitor LE Tonglet, the Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider finally got a little revenge and issued a reminder as to why he has held the Pro Stock Motorcycle points lead since the Brainerd event in mid-August. In a very close final at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, Hines beat his opponent off the starting line by .023-second and clocked a 6.916 to Tonglet's 6.913 to score the holeshot win.

"It was great, we put a lot of qualifying points on LE coming into Sunday," said Hines. "I'm trying to rely on some of the other competitors out there to take him out early, but we keep matching up in the final round and it's been tough with that little blue bike beating us the last few races. We were wondering what it was going to take to get it done. I knew I needed to be quick off the tree. I was aiming for a .020, and the bike left perfect, just like it needed to. That finish line couldn't get their quick enough. When I saw that win light, it was one of the prettiest win lights I've seen in a long time."

Hines, the No. 3 qualifier, had the quickest motorcycle in three of the four rounds of eliminations and will leave Maple Grove Raceway with the track record for speed in hand thanks to a 196.56 mph blast recorded during qualifying.

He kicked off eliminations with a 6.850 to beat Kawasaki rider Neil Jacobs, of Utica, N.Y., and in round two, Hines pulled up alongside Angie Smith and her Coffman Trick Tanks-backed Buell. Hines clicked off a speedy 6.867 but it was decided at the starting line when Smith fouled by .046-second.

The semifinals paired Hines with teammate Eddie Krawiec, the No. 2 qualifier. Hines beat his fellow Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider off the starting line by a bunch, Krawiec clocking a restful .130 reaction to a decent .039 launch, and after having the best bike for much of eliminations, Hines left Krawiec with little chance of making up the difference. At the finish line the nod went to Hines, 6.906 to 6.980.

"That's a tough deal," said Hines. "Eddie has been on his game the last race and a half, but he's been struggling on the tree this year. He wanted to beat me as much as I wanted to beat him, because he needs those points over Matt Smith. It was tough, we work back and forth on the bikes so everybody thinks, oh, team orders. But I was over there wrenching on his bike before that semifinal round, and we were just there having fun and racing. It was the first time we had raced in a while, and it's fun to roll up there against your teammate."

After winning the last three consecutive races, Tonglet seemed to fall off a bit in qualifying, 8th, but during eliminations, his Nitro Fish Suzuki was the only motorcycle to rival the eventual event winner. In the semis, Tonglet recorded the quickest e.t. of the round to get past Al-Anabi Racing rider Matt Smith, a 6.881, after advancing from the first two rounds on red-lighting opponents Karen Stoffer and Hector Arana.

The points battle is heating up, but the pressure isn't anything new for Hines, who is now more than three rounds ahead of Tonglet. From 2004-2006 the 27-year-old rider won three consecutive championship titles, and he has finished in the top 10 every season he has competed in the Full Throttle Series, beginning in 2002. Hines is tuned by his brother, Matt Hines, a three-time series champ.

"We have a nice little cushion, but it could come down to a few measly rounds there at the end," said Hines. "We have a very consistent motorcycle, unfortunately, on Sunday we just seem to lose our tune-up. The bike goes slower and slower, and LE has just been consistent. Like I said, that was a very pretty win light."

HAGAN HAS NEAR-PERFECT WEEKEND; TAKES RUNNER-UP AND POINTS LEAD - It was an almost perfect weekend for Matt Hagan, driver of the DieHard Dodge Charger Funny Car at the 26th annual NHRA Toyo Nationals. He qualified No. 1 for the fourth time this year, the sixth of his career, set another national elapsed-time record (4.011 seconds), for which he earned 20 bonus points, and reached his fourth final round of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

He didn't walk away with his third victory of the year, however, as that went to non-Countdown contender Cruz Pedregon. But that's OK, sort of. What he did take home is the top spot in the Countdown to the Championship point standings.

After establishing the national record and qualifying No. 1, he moved ahead of 14-time champion John Force in the rankings and, after Force exited in the opening round of eliminations, is now 64 points ahead, with two races remaining in the season.

Hagan had lane choice for every round, tossing out 4.0-second laps like they were candy on Halloween. He first defeated Phil Burkart with a 4.088-second lap at 302.08 mph, then Tim Wilkerson with a 4.080/302.14, and when temperatures rose, he pulled out another round-quick pass, a 4.118/300.26, to defeat Jim Head in the semifinals.

After he and Pedregon took off at the starting lights in the final, Hagan's DieHard Doge unexpectedly experienced tire shake. He quickly pedaled it in an attempt to regain traction, but was unable to recover in time, ceding the victory to Pedregon's 4.130/312.35 with a losing 4.242/301.13.

"There's nothing to complain about," said the 27-year-old Angus Cattle farmer from Christiansburg, Va. "I'm really, really proud of (crew chief) Tommy DeLago, (assistant crew chief) Glenn Huszar and the DieHard guys. They're doing a hell of a job out here. Everybody is handling the pressure well.

"I knew the conditions were getting pretty good out there and I thought we had it in the bag," he said of the final round. "But that's drag racing for you. We have a good race car. We went down the race track every single lap today except for the final, and that's just how it goes.

"We swapped the points lead with Force, and that's huge. But just as fast as we swapped it it can be swapped back. We'll put a little feather in our cap for that and put it behind us.

"If we had it our way, we'd win every race, but it doesn't happen like that. Tommy and Glenn really stepped up to the plate, they cranked it out, and made up a lot of distance in qualifying and on race day.

"The pressure is what it is. I think it's been there for us to perform since the season began. Whether it's the second race or the last race or 10 races to go, it's the same for us.

"We have nothing to hang our heads about. As bad as it hurts inside we're going to stay humble, tie on a big grin and move right into Vegas."

QUICK HITS, RACEDAY REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION

TOP FUEL

FINALS

STILL PERFECT - Larry Dixon entered the final round with a decided 44-21 edge over Cory McClenathan in the final round.

At the green, Dixon was not only the first out of the gate but also the first up in smoke. McClenathan appeared en route to the victory when about 200 feet out, he began to smoke the tires. Dixon alertly got back into the throttle.

McClenathan valiantly tried to get his dragster to regain traction but could only watch helplessly as Dixon drove by for his 60th career win at only 4.906 seconds.

SEMI-FINALS

DIFFERENT VENUE SAME SCENARIO - If Cory McClenathan is going to make up points on Top Fuel leader Larry Dixon, he is going to have to do the job himself. Dixon, unbeaten in final round appearances this year, never trailed David Grubnic to secure a spot in the final against McClenathan. McClenathan's path was not nearly as easy. Racing against his teammate, Antron Brown, McCleanathan needed a strong pass to overcome the margin at the light - .056 to Brown's .048. 

SECOND ROUND

THE NO MERCY LADDER – Larry Dixon is letting the ladder doing the dirty work. With Tony Schumacher, Cory McClenathan and Antron Brown all positioned on the same side of the ladder, three of Dixon's toughest competitors were forced to battle against each other, while Dixon mowed through Terry McMillen and Doug Foley.

While Antron Brown eliminated Schumacher is their second round pairing, David Grubnic eliminated his teammate – Doug Kalitta – after mowing past Brandon Bernstein in the first round.

FIRST ROUND

FOR YOU CHAD - Fresh off his quickest run of the weekend, Doug Foley, in the Dote Racing Top Fueler, dedicated the win to a fallen friend.

“This one is for Chad Wilcox,” said Foley from the top end. “He was set to marry the Dote's daughter but passed away suddenly on July 4th.”

The round win was critical to Foley and the team as they continue to gear up for the 2011 season.

“This was important to us. We're really starting to makes moves and this helps as we get ready for an even better year next year.”

TORRENCE DID THE JOB AND LOST – There aren't many drivers who beat Shawn Langdon at the tree. In a first round matchup against Steve Torrence, Langdon got beat at the tree, .034  to .044, but won the race with a 3.886 at 292.58 mph.

Torrence smoked the tires in the first hundred feet to lose his starting line advantage and the race.

ONE BATTLE WON – Tony Schumacher made it look easy as he outran Morgan Lucas in the first round. While Schumacher drove the track in straight and narrow fashion in 3.835 seconds at 317.57 mph, Langdon struck the tires and coasted across the line.

FUNNY CAR

FINALS

THE CRUSADERS - Cruz Pedregon and Matt Hagan both entered the final round banking on a ton of emotion and motivation.

Pedregon, shut out of the Countdown to 1, declared he was racing his own personal playoffs following a win in Charlotte.

Hagan, who was finally able to overtake John Force for the point lead following the 14-time champ’s first round loss, hoped to use a victory as a means to further his newly acquired point lead.

In the end, it was Pedregon continuing his crusade by beating Hagan on both ends of the track. Pedregon used a 4.130, 312.35 to beat Hagan’s traction-challenged 4.242, 301.13.

SEMI-FINALS

MONSTER MATCHUP – Cruz Pedregon used a hole shot, .065, to Del Worsham's .074, to get to the finish line first despite Worsham's better 4.136 at 305.42 mph.

With the win, Pedregon set up a monster match-up against Matt Hagan. Hagan, entering his fourth final of the year, is guaranteed to leave Reading as the Funny Car point leader.

Hagan reaches the final round with a convincing victory over Jim Head, clearly the surprise runner of the weekend.

SECOND ROUND

NOT A FORD DAY – Ford's hopes at Maple Grove Dragway died on the vine as Dodge driver Matt Hagan powered his way past Tim Wilkerson in a critical second round matchup. Wilkerson was Ford's lone remaining driver as all three of Force's teams were eliminated first round along with Bob Tasca.

CHRISTMAS CARD LIST – Jim Head should add Ron Capps and Jack Beckman to his Christmas car list. Will Matt Hagan's name be added to the list.

Head took easy wins over the tire smoking efforts of Ron Capps and then Jack Beckman to set-up a third round match-up with Hagan. Should Head defeat Hagan, he might find himself on the John Force Racing card list.

FIRST ROUND

A RARE MOMENT IN TIME – Its been slightly more than one year between instances where a non-Force Racing driver has led the Funny Car points in NHRA competition.

Tony Pedregon led the point standings by a single point over Ashley Force on Sept 24, 2009, the Thursday prior to the start of the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries Fall Nationals at Dallas.

Matt Hagan, driving the Don Schumacher Diehard Dodge Charger will leave Maple Grove Dragway leading the points over as a yet to be determined driver.  

In between Pedregon and Hagan, Force Hood led the point standings for one race, Robert Hight for six and John Force for 18 events.

Asked if the any of the three Force cars would stick around to test on Monday, Forces public relations team joked, “with what bodies?”

Force Hood lost two bodies this weekend and Robert Hight one.

Standing on the starting line just before Bob Tasca made his deflating pass, Force commented, “We're getting our bad luck out of the way before Vegas and Pomona.”
 

PRO STOCK

DIAMOND DAVE DELIVERS - Dave Connolly knows how to leave a lasting impression. In only his second race representing IDG orchestrated his 22nd career victory by stopping newly christened Pro Stock point leader Greg Anderson.

Connolly led the race from start to finish, fending off Anderson with only four inches to spare at the finish line. His 6.580, 210.05 was the winning ticket. Anderson lost despite a quicker 6.579, 209.75.

Connolly was competing in only his second Pro Stock event since 2008.

SEMI-FINALS

WELCOME BACK – With sponsorship woes behind him for the moment, Pro Stock returner Dave Connolly is re-establishing himself as a threat to the competition. In his semifinals match with Shane Gray he cut a typical Connolly light, a .016 to Gray's .035, and clocked a swift 6.597 to better Gray's 6.609.

"It's been a great weekend," said Connolly. "We came out here and ran real good yesterday, and we've had a lot of support from all the folks at IDG, 3M, and Makita. They're the ones making this happen. We're just out here having a great time. We have a great crew, and I'm looking forward to the final. It's been a long time, and I'm excited, that's all I can say."

FAMILIAR FINAL – Greg Anderson disposed of KB Racing teammate Jason Line and was once again the quickest of car of the round, recording a nice 6.573 at 210.47 mph that tied his teammate for speed. The final will be the sixth of the season for Anderson, and it will be the 14th time he has been paired with Connolly in a final round.

SECOND ROUND

FATHER AND SON SQUARE OFF AGAIN – The father-son racing team of Johnny and Shane Gray found themselves in opposing lanes for the fifth time this season. At the most recent previous event, in Dallas, son Shane beat dad Johnny in the first round, and he did it again here in round two when his pop was a too quick -.012 at the tree.

Both of the Grays are in the championship chase, rookie of the year candidate Shane entering the event 7th in the standings and former Funny Car racer Johnny 10th. Shane has seen the win-light flash in his own lane each time the two have raced.

CRITICAL KNOCK OUT – Nitro Fish GXP pilot Greg Stanfield was .024 and put a quick 6.583 on the scoreboard in his quest to rack up more points in the chase, but Jason Line was in the other lane with a .019 light and the fastest pass of the round, a 210.57 mph run that was accompanied by an e.t. six-thousandths off of the quickest of the round. Line pocketed the points for the round to aid his own championship run and effectively blocked Stanfield from gaining on fellow Summit driver Greg Anderson's advantage in the standings.

STAYING LOW TO GO – Anderson was again the standout of the round, clocking a quick 6.554 at 210.34 mph to send Warren Johnson home on a 6.598 that was a bit off of his winning 6.578 in the opening act.

"We've definitely had some good fortune today so far," said Anderson. "You don't want to see other guys struggle, but when they do, you have to be able to capitalize if you want to be a champion. We'll see what we can do the rest of the day. We've got two great Summit Pontiacs."

FIRST ROUND

RISING FROM THE BOTTOM – Bottom-half qualifiers made up the majority of drivers advancing to the second round; No. 4 qualifier Jason Line, still a threat to win the championship, and No. 6 starter Dave Connolly were the lone top-halfers to win in the first round.

At the top of the list of upsets: No. 1 qualifier Allen Johnson rattled the tires and lurched towards the centerline, and he had to let off the throttle in his pairing with Warren Johnson. AJ's hope of a first Full Throttle Series world title have all but been shelved, and the Professor will meet with his former crew chief, Greg Anderson, in the quarterfinals.

Mike Edwards hit the go button two-thousandths too quick in his first round match with Larry Morgan, negating his 6.560 at over 211 mph and stumbling a bit in his attempt to defend his championship title. Jeg Coughlin Jr. rattled the tires in his JEGS.com Cobalt in his first-round match with Anderson.

EYE ON THE PRIZE – While a few other Countdown to 1 competitors leave Maple Grove dejected, Greg Anderson and Greg Stanfield each won their first-round pairings to keep the points battle hot, hot, hot. Anderson, who set low e.t. and top speed of the event in the first round, 6.544 at 211.43 mph, entered the event 16 points behind front-runner Edwards, and Stanfield was 62 points out of the lead in the No. 4 spot.

With Edwards out, the top spot is up for grabs, and Anderson's teammate Line will be looking to oust Stanfield in the second round to keep the title in sight for Team Summit. Stanfield made his best run of the weekend to overcome Rodger Brogdon's .012 to .023 reaction and collect the round win.

LOOSENING UP – There were traction troubles for many in the first round. Ronnie Humphrey looked awesome in the first 60 feet but got loose before the 330 mark and shimmied erratically, sending Johnny Gray to round two despite some tire-spin of his own down track, and Kurt Johnson lost traction early and made a hard move towards the wall in his match with Line, who came unglued further down track. The pair gave a shout-out to the nitro cars with an unusual Pro Stock pedalfest, with Line emerging victorious at the top end, 7.447 to 8.756.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

FINALS

SCORE ONE FOR GOLIATH - Sooner of later his run of good fortune had to end. And for past multi-time champion Andrew Hines, he was all too happy to end LE Tonglet's assault on his first place ranking and Countdown to 1 winning streak at 15 rounds.

Hines' victory over Tonglet enabled him to head into Las Vegas in three weeks with the slight championship advantage.

Hines was the first out of the gate and that advantage proved to be the difference in beating Tonglet, 6.916, 188.36 to 6.913, 190.40.

SEMI FINALS

REPEAT – The tune keeps repeating when it comes to Pro Stock Motorcycle final rounds. For the fourth consecutive event, Andrew Hines will be challenged by LE Tonglet in the money round. Hines had to get around teammate Eddie Krawiec to earn a ticket to his seventh consecutive final round, and it was pretty much decided at the starting line when Krawiec was a sleepy .130 at the tree to Hines' .039. Hines has trailered Tonglet twice this season but has yet to accomplish the feat in the final round. Regardless of the outcome, Hines will retain the points lead.

Prior to the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson semifinal match, Tonglet said, "This Nitro Fish Suzuki is just flying, and we don't care who it is in the final, we're just going to try to take them out."

SECOND ROUND

HAMMERED OUT – The comeback of reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Hector Arana came to a grinding halt – at least temporarily – in the quarterfinals. After the late .189 start in the first round, Arana jumped the gun and launched .164-second ahead of the green light in the quarterfinals. He got the red light and LE Tonglet soared ahead to a 6.884, 191.76 victory to add to an expanding points collection.

SCREAMIN' – Andrew Hines isn't messing around. For the past six events he has been to the final round and has thus far accumulated four wins in eight total final rounds this season. In Reading, he was the No. 3 qualifier and picked up an advantage in eliminations by establishing himself as the quickest in both the first and second rounds with respective 6.850 and 6.867 passes. Hines will be challenged by Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Eddie Krawiec in the semifinals.

"Matt Smith is going rounds, too, so we're battling for that No. 3 spot right now," said Krawiec. "Drew and LE are battling for that No. 1 spot, so we're going to make a good race of it, go out there, and put on a good show for the fans."

FIRST ROUND

AL-ANABI RISING – Matt Smith's nitro burning counterparts, Al-Anabi-backed Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon and Funny Car's Del Worsham, both advanced to the second round in their respective categories, and Smith kept it going for the maroon and gold with his first-round victory over Wesley Wells, who rolled the beams at the starting line and illuminated a red light.
 
SEEING CRIMSON – In addition to Wells' red-light, Countdown competitor Karen Stoffer fouled out by .015 in her match with rising star LE Tonglet. Tonglet made his best pass of the weekend in the other lane with a 6.860 that was second-quickest of the round. Joe DeSantis also lit the red-light in the first round in his efforts to gain a bit on Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson rider Eddie Krawiec.
 
BACK IN FORM – Just as No. 1 qualifier Hector Arana announced after scoring his first pole position since the Sonoma event, 'The Hammer is Back' and he proved it with a first-round defeat of Connie Cohen, despite an early disadvantage. The win light was up for grabs early, as No. 16 qualifier Cohen, who was making her first national event appearance since racing at Maple Grove Raceway in 2008 and was riding a brand new Buell, took a big ol' lead at the starting line with a .037 green light to Arana's tardy .189. Arana reeled in his challenger with a 6.861 to 7.249.
 
ROUGH START – The first three pairs left little to be desired in terms of exciting, side-by-side racing. Stoffer red-lighted in the first pair of two-wheelers of the day and then Shawn Gann got the win after recovering from a super-tardy .186 to beat a troubled Michael Phillips. Craig Trebled had problems from the start and watched bottom half-qualifier Angie Smith sail ahead for the round-win.

 

 

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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - NEW TRACK RECORDS IN EVERY CLASS

HAGAN DELIVERS TO NEAR PACKED HOUSE AT MAPLE GROVE  - For two consecutive days the near overflow crowds at Maple Grove Raceway watched diligently in anticipation of someone setting a national record.

Several drivers got close, but it was Matt Hagan, in the final round of Funny Car qualifying, who came through the masses when he planted the DieHard Dodge Charger Funny Car not only firmly on the pole but backed up his 4.011-second pass at 311.56 mph (both track records) from Friday with a 4.046/308.99 for a provisional national record.

If Hagan can hold onto the national record through Sunday's eliminations, he will earn 20 additional points for the weekend. He will also break his own record of 4.022 seconds, which he had set earlier this year when he won in Joliet, Ill. Going into Sunday's final eliminations, following the qualifying rounds and counting the national record, Hagan holds a slim four-point lead over John Force. Only three races remain before a 2010 Funny Car championship is crowned, including tomorrow's NHRA Nationals.

"This is stuff you dream about out there," said Hagan, who collected his fourth No. 1 of the year, and the ninth of his short two-year full-time NHRA career. "It's just great that we have the car that's capable of coming up here and laying that kind of number down even with the sun out like that. It's a real testament to how smart (crew chief) Tommy DeLago is and how hard these DieHard guys are working.”

Hagan knew he had a chance at setting a new record. He knew DeLago wasn't going to back down. And, he knew 20 added points would be a huge boost to his championship hopes. So, was Hagan calm, cool and collected or was he like a pack of angry hornets?

"I was on pins and needles up there. It was just, try to do everything right to make this car go down, keep it in the groove and make it go to the other end. So, when we went through the trap I saw the mile-per-hour. I was trying to duck to see the E.T. and I couldn't see it. But the guys came over real quick on the radio and said, 'We got it done.' It was just an overwhelming feeling to be in the Countdown and I guess this evens up the points [with John Force] as for now. We still have a lot of racing to do, but, as of tonight, that's huge for us.

"We'll put this behind us after we do a little bit celebrating and focus on tomorrow.”

Just 24 hours earlier, Force had pointed at Hagan as a real obstacle in his own aspirations to win the title. Still, in the genuine spirit of competition, Force was one of the first to congratulate his rival.

"I have a lot of respect for John Force and the whole Force camp. He walked right over and shook my hand. He was one of the first ones to come over and say, 'Good job, kid.' That goes a long ways when you've got a guy that's been leading the points all year long [congratulating you]. He's the 14-time champion. He knows how to win and he's a good competitor.”

Hagan admitted that the DieHard team was aiming for the national record in that final pass. "Absolutely," he said. "Tommy told me today, after we went .08 in the heat (in the first session) that we have a great baseline for tomorrow. He said, 'I feel very confident about what we're going to do, so, pull your seatbelt down tight because we're going to go for it this evening.'

"I thought that even if we didn't get it done this evening, I figured first round tomorrow he would probably step up. That's just Tommy's nature. He's [got] no fear, he's going to go for it, whether it's race day or qualifying. I'm tickled."

HECTOR SWINGS THE HAMMER - Reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Hector Arana hasn't been having the kind of season he had hoped for lately, but in the final session of qualifying at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, the Lucas Oil Buell rider jetted to an incredibly quick and completely unexpected 6.828 at 196.16 mph. The run was good for the No. 1 position -- his fifth of the season and 14th of his career -- and it reset the Maple Grove Raceway record for e.t.

"We had been struggling," said Arana. "We started struggling at Brainerd. From then on, it just kept getting worse. I replaced just about everything, then at Dallas, on Saturday, I replaced [a couple more things]. I said, guys, after this I have replaced everything. If it's still doing it, then we have to replace one more thing, and that is the loose nut between the seat and the handlebars."

Arana didn't rest after Dallas, though, and was able to spend time in the shop of Pro Stock racer and engine builder Larry Morgan the week before the Maple Grove event. Morgan has helped Arana with his cylinder heads for some time and has proved to be a valuable source of advice, and a source that Arana credits for much of his success.

"Every time you have an opportunity to go to Larry's shop, you always learn something," said Morgan. "Then you have more people watching over to make sure everything goes well. I'll tell you, I'll take all the help I can get."

The 6.828 was the second quickest run in the history of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class and was three-hundredths quicker than second-best Eddie Krawiec, who entered Saturday on the provisional pole. Krawiec's Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Andrew Hines was third.

During eliminations, Arana will face No. 16 qualifier Connie Cohen, who will be competing on race day for the first time in two years.

"Just to make this run, it was awesome," said Arana. "You start asking in the back of your head, what's going on? You wonder, after you did so good last year and at the beginning, and then to come and stumble with these problems. But I didn’t give up. I just kept working hard, and the guys kept working hard.

"I'm delighted, and I'm grateful for everything and all the people supporting me," said Arana. "Lucas Oil stayed behind me and never would question anything that I've done. And now, the Hammer is back."

MOPAR MAGIC - The 6.551 pass that Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson laid down on Friday held through qualifying on Saturday to keep the Mopar Dodge Avenger campaigner on the pole for the sixth time this season and the 13th time in his career.

Johnson wasn't the quickest in the third and fourth sessions, and bonus points were earned by a couple of other Countdown to the Championship contenders, but he was still the big winner at the end of the day.

"This morning was almost as good as last night, but we didn't make good runs today at all, unfortunately," said Johnson. "The air was real cool and crisp last night. Everybody picked up this morning, but we didn't, and we're a little mad at ourselves about that. But in the two runs we made today, we were solid, just not on top of it like we wanted to be."

In the first session, Summit Racing's Jason Line was quickest with a 6.565 at 210.60 mph for three bonus points, and recent class-return Dave Connolly snatched a couple of points for his second-quickest 6.567. V. Gaines continued to impress and grabbed the last bonus point of the round with a 6.567 that matched Connolly but was a tick slower in speed.

The second session was another story, with Connolly (3), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (2), and Johnson (1) picking up bonus markers.

Johnson's 6.551 reset the Maple Grove Raceway record for e.t., while Summit Racing driver Ronnie Humphrey, who qualified No. 7, reset the track record for speed with a 211.20 mph blast.

Clearly still in contention for the Championship, Johnson, who came to Reading fourth in the Full Throttle Series standings, heads into race day with the challenge of knocking out 97-time national event winner and six-time world champion Warren Johnson at the top of his to-do list, and he has a simple plan for eliminations.

"We'll go back to last night's setup and work on it," said Johnson. "Today we were just trying to get faster. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. Now I'm calm and confident, we just have to go out and win this race tomorrow."

DIXON RECLAIMS FAMILIAR SPOT - For two of the four Top Fuel qualifying sessions this weekend Larry Dixon looked anything but invincible while his closest rivals, Cory McClenathan and Tony Schumacher traded the top qualifying spot.

In the final session Dixon returned to the form which has consistently carried him to the top seeded spot countless times this season, a spot from which he has yet to lose come Sunday eliminations.

“It was a great job by the team,” said Dixon, in his normal cool as a cucumber manner. “Weather conditions this weekend were pretty good where you should be able to fire some shots. We've seen it in Funny Car, we just haven't been able to see it in Top Fuel. I was glad to see us be able to do that in the last session.”

What Dixon was able to do was re-established, in a single pass, his dominance of the division throughout the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle season.

Dixon could feel his final run was good, and a late peek at the scoreboard proved him right.

“Normally if that car will get to the finish line, it will put up a pretty good
number,” explained Dixon. “As I went through it was pretty straight, pretty true, and when you're not having to drive it a lot, you have a chance when you shut it off to kind of catch the scoreboard before you pass it and when I saw the .78 I was like, wow, that was nice. Especially the speed. That was a good number for us.

“We just knew that where we qualified in the field, we needed to run better than
an .81 to really make a move. You really had nothing to lose, so they went up
there and gave it their best shot and it certainly worked. That was such a great number; I was happy to see it come up for Alan and Jason and Sheikh Khalid.”
With the top spot in hand, Dixon will attempt to extend his streak of winning from the number one qualifying spot. Each time Dixon has started from the top spot, this year, he has walked away Sunday night with the Wally. Winning Sunday would go a long way to putting more than a few nails in the coffins of hope of both McClenathan and Schumacher.

FINAL SALUTE - Pro Stock racer John Gaydosh and Maryland-based charitable foundation Hot Rods for Heroes formerd a partnership earlier this season that included displaying a special scheme on Gaydosh's Pontiac GTO in honor of the country's armed forces. The scheme, which came to include hundreds of signatures from the men and women serving our country, debuted at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.

The Gaydosh Performance GTO has raced twice this season bearing the military-themed wrap of Hot Rods for Heroes honoring the past and present members of our country's five branches of the military, and the event at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading will be the last showing. Following the event, Hot Rods for Heroes and Gaydosh Performance have agreed to end their marketing partnership to allow each organization the opportunity to pursue other endeavors.

"From everyone at Hot Rods for Heroes, we wish Gaydosh Performance and John and Tina Gaydosh, its owners, as well as the entire crew, all of the luck going forward, and we will be rooting for them," said Ron Greenwood, Chairman and Founder of Hot Rods for Heroes.

Gaydosh, who drives the Pontiac GTO he co-owns with wife Tina, said, "Hot Rods for Heroes is an outstanding organization, and Ron Greenwood has a truly exceptional vision with the foundation's efforts to say thank you to our nation's brave military heroes, past and present. As an honorably discharged former Sgt. in the U.S. Army, retired, and in working with a race crew comprised entirely of veterans and dependents of veterans, we were honored to have been Hot Rods for Heroes' initial marketing partner. We wish them the best going forward and can only hope that they succeed in a big way."

BROGDON'S BATTLE - After qualifying a disappointing 11th in Dallas as the Countdown to the Championship really began to heat up, Rodger Brogdon was determined to improve, even if the championship was a longshot.

In the first qualifying session on Friday at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, he was already showing improvement, driving his AttitudeApparelOnline.com Pistonator Pontiac Pro Stocker to a 6.565 at 209.72 mph for the provisional No. 3 spot -- a position that was good for a valuable qualifying bonus point.

Ultimately, Brogdon earned a start in Reading from the No. 5 position.

Brogdon started the Countdown holding down the 10th spot in the Full Throttle Series points and picked up a round win in Charlotte as the No. 5 qualifier to help him advance to ninth place in the standings. Dallas, though, was a dismal outing and a particular disappointment for the Texas native at his home track.

"We were just struggling with our car, with our setup," said Brogdon. "We did go testing this week, and that seems to have worked out; we qualified No. 5 here [at Maple Grove Raceway]. But this hasn't been a year to write home about anyway, we're just going down the road and trying to learn as much as we can. We're still trying to win, but everything we learn will help us next year."

The two-time Division 4 Competition Eliminator champ turned to Pro Stock racing in 2001 behind the wheel of a Pro Stock Truck, and in 2007 he launched into the next phase of his drag racing career in a Pro Stock car. The successful businessman teamed with Steve Kent and has enjoyed an impressive season this year despite setbacks; he posted a semifinals finish in Chicago at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals and has qualified in the top half on eight separate occasions so far, including a start from the No. 2 position at the final NHRA event in St. Louis.

"We're doing really good here [in Reading], and we're not disappointed at all. Tim [Freeman, crew chief] and the team had a few ideas on different ways to run the car that we tried in testing, and it worked over there, so they came over here with the same philosophy and it worked over here, too.

"Even though we can't mathematically win the championship unless the other guys just don't show up, we're just going to do the best we can, and if we do that the next three races, we can move up probably to 6th or 7th in the points. We're just happy to be in [the Countdown to the Championship], especially after all we've been through this year. Even if we finish 10th, we'll be okay."

KAWASAKI IN THE FIELD - No matter how you look at it, there is going to be a Kawasaki in the Pro Stock Motorcycle field on race day, and that is a fairly unusual sight amongst the more commonly seen V-Rods, Buells, and Suzukis. With just 16 bikes on the premises at Maple Grove Raceway, Utica, N.Y., resident Neil Jacobs is assured an invitation to the first round on Sunday.

Jacobs has drag raced in varying sanctioning bodies for three decades, but the last time he raced in NHRA competition was at this same event in 2009, where he qualified 15th and Tree'd Michael Phillips in the first round but didn't quite have enough power to follow through at the top end.

The owner of Mohawk Automotive Dyno in Yorkville is a specialist when it comes to motorcycle repair and performance, which could work to his advantage if he is able to stick with the program.

"This is our first event this year because we were doing some R&D and building a new bike," said Jacobs. "We're kind of late, but we're here. We're not sure when we'll be out next. It depends on how good we do here and how good the bike starts to pick up.

"There is definitely a chance we'll do more. There is no question that we're interested, it's just a matter of looking for sponsors. We don't have a marketing deal yet; first we're trying to get a good baseline to have something to show. As they say, you crawl before you walk."

The only other Kawasaki's seen in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competition in recent years have been those ridden by Ryan Schnitz and, briefly, Geoff Godfrey. Even so, Jacobs is optimistic.

"I guess you have to always hope for the best, but this bike has the potential to run 6.90s," said Jacobs, who owns and tunes his Pro Stock Motorcycle. "We only have a couple of passes on it so far, so we're trying to work our way up, and hopefully, we'll make the right choices."

 

 

 

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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - LATE NIGHT AIR PERFECT FOR POINTS BATTLE

COUNTRY AIR SENDS HAGAN TO THE TOP - Under cool and nearly ideal conditions at Maple Grove Raceway at the 26th annual NHRA Nationals, Matt Hagan netted the provisional Funny Car pole position, racing the DieHard Dodge Charger Funny Car. He posted the second quickest lap in NHRA history of 4.011 seconds at 311.56 mph in the Friday night session, establishing both an elapsed-time and top-speed track record.

In his first qualifying attempt earlier in the day, he posted a 4.143/296.89, good for No. 3 at the time.

If it holds through two more qualifying rounds on Saturday, he will have earned his fourth No. 1 of the season and ninth of his career. It is also his career-best elapsed time.

"Huge numbers," said Hagan, who is second in the point standings, with three events remaining in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. "(Crew chief) Tommy DeLago ... I told you guys last weekend, he's an animal and he's proven it every lap out here. I'm so proud of him and the DieHard guys. They worked so hard for this. It's been there all along. Even when we set the national record the last time (4.022 seconds in Joliet 2010), the graph showed that we had a lot more left. There's still some more.

"I'm honored to be able to drive this type of race car. Don Schumacher just really put a hell of a race car underneath. All I have to do is go out there and drive it , but I was a little worried with the lights not being so bright. I struggled a little bit at night time. I was really trying to get up on the wheel there and just make sure I kept it in the groove.

"And after seeing Ashley (Force Hood, whose car body flew off as she and the chassis crossed the finish line) have a little mishap, you kind of have some down time and it's so easy to get in that car and kind of relax and not stay focused. I was trying to make sure that we do everything right out here, because I knew Tommy was swinging for the fence.

"When we went out there and made the first lap today and got in, I was like it was either going to go really far and fast or it's not going to go far at all. It's just awesome to be able to run those kind of numbers and have a great show for the fans out here."

 

 

IN DEFENSE - Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Eddie Krawiec won the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals last season and is doing everything within his power to defend the title, all the while with the current Full Throttle Series championship battle in mind. He got off to a stellar start at Maple Grove Raceway when he picked up the provisional pole on day one of qualifying aboard his Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

Krawiec came to Reading third in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings with teammate Andrew Hines leading the points and powerhouse rookie LE Tonglet sandwiched between. In round one, Krawiec picked up a trio of coveted qualifying bonus points with a super-fast 6.893 at 193.63 mph. The run reset the track record for e.t., and in the second round, Krawiec protected the pole with a 6.855 at 195.85 mph that reset both ends of the track record and kept more points out of the hands of Tonglet.

"We made two great runs," said Krawiec. "Our Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson went straight down through there. First run, I left a little on the table. Second run, I feel I got pretty much got everything that we could out there. It’s just consistency. I changed the way I was riding the last two races. I’ve been struggling on the Tree all season long, and now I’ve finally got it right back where I want it. I can go .03s, and that was my reaction time on the two runs today, and I’m happy with that. I won this race last year, so I’m hoping for a repeat. My game plan is to try and make a hard move in these final three races. My teammate’s up there fighting for a championship with LE [Tonglet]. I’m pretty far behind, but weirder things have happened, so I’m just going to go after it and try and stay consistent and try to win rounds."

Fellow Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider Hines scored two points in the first round and another pair in round two. Tonglet, No. 3 at the end of the day, had one bonus point in his pocket heading into the second day of qualifying, and Shawn Gann, No. 3 in the first session, claimed a bonus point for himself.

With conditions possibly looking to improve on Saturday, there is the murmur of a possibility of seeing a new national record set.

"I think if it’s going to happen, it might happen tomorrow morning," said Krawiec. "A lot of people came here with the intention of the national record falling because of Reading being a very fast track and great air conditions. It’s going to be a little tough, I think, this year. I don’t know if there is going to be a .79 tomorrow morning or not. We’re going to have to see what the gauges tell us."

TOOTH AND NAIL - Allen Johnson wants the Pro Stock world championship title, and he wants it bad.

The amount of time left to claim points is dwindling, and after a shocking shake-up at the recent national event in Charlotte where Johnson suffered a major setback when he was disqualified, he knows that every hundredth of a second counts.

In the first round of qualifying for the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, Johnson -- who was fourth in the Full Throttle Series standings entering the event -- stuttered and stumbled at the hit and watched more points fall through his fingers, but in the second session, he and his team -- including crew chief Mark Ingersoll and Johnson's father, engine builder Roy -- stepped it up just right and picked up the provisional pole. If it holds, it will be the sixth No. 1 of the season for the driver who will finish in the top 10 for the eighth time in his career, regardless of the outcome of the rest of the events.

"Our first run, we had a tranny problem and didn't get down," said Johnson. "We were trying to go for those [qualifying] bonus points. But the second session, we made a really good run, and the conditions are not optimal but they're good. Tomorrow morning it's supposed to be a little cooler yet, so you may see a .53 if conditions are like they're supposed to be. For tonight, though, that was a really solid run, and the track is really awesome, really smooth. They've done an awesome job on it."

The conditions in both sessions were good enough for a slew of 6.50s, and in the first qualifying round of the day, one run stood above the rest: a 6.557 laid down by Kendall Dodge driver V. Gaines.

"We tested in Tulsa, Okla., before this race and found a problem we could fix. We've got a real fast race car here, and a real fast motor," said Gaines prophetically before the opening round.

At the conclusion of the first qualifying session, Gaines, though not in contention for the championship, claimed three bonus points, Mike Edwards picked up two, and Rodger Brogdon collected one. At the end of the second session, Johnson logged three, Edwards got two more, and Greg Stanfield earned one.

Still outside looking in heading into what all hope will be a very quick Saturday are Greg Anderson, Dave Connolly, and the father-son duo of Warren and Kurt Johnson, among others.

"The Mopar/Dodge Avenger just did perfect," said provision No. 1 qualifier Johnson, whose final pass of the day, the 6.551 at 210.70 mph, reset both ends of the track record. "We're on kill. We're a little down [in points] so we have to do something special now. We've had little mechanical things bite us all year, and we say if it wasn't for bad luck, we just wouldn't have any luck at all. But maybe that's turning around."

WE GOT THREE - Racing the FRAM Top Fuel dragster, Cory McClenathan earned the provisional Top Fuel pole position for the 26th annual NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway today.

The elapsed time of 3.832 seconds at 316.01 mph which he established in the first qualifying session held through the second one, as the temperatures fell and humidity rose during the night round, resulting in several top cars losing traction. In his second try he experienced tire shake and shut it off, slowing to a 8.328/73.69 pass.

If it holds through two more qualifying rounds on Saturday, McClenathan will have earned his sixth No. 1 of the season and 44th of his career.

"The biggest thing was coming in with a plan, and the plan was to try to set the [national] record," said McClenathan, who is 69 points behind leader Larry Dixon with three races to go, and could use the 20 bonus points that come with setting a national elapsed-time record.

"The first run everything went fantastic. The second one...I don't think you can make enough power out there. When you got past the starting line, past the tree, the track was really good, and if the car wasn't really up on the tire and going by then it was going to struggle.

"From what I could feel, it just shook real hard and you can only drive it through so much of that. Be smart, shut if off, and bring it back tomorrow and try again.

"If the weather is good - we know the track is going to be good - it could still happen tomorrow. Right now our biggest thing is to try to get that 20 points, if we can get them. But the small points mean a lot right now. We got three (qualifying bonus points) in the first session, but didn't get anything that round. That hurt us a little bit.”

HEATED RIVALRY - Front-runner Rookie of the Year candidate LE Tonglet came to Maple Grove Raceway on an impressive streak of three consecutive Pro Stock Motorcycle victories and looking to snatch the points lead from Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider Andrew Hines, who has been at the top of the standings since winning the national event in Brainerd in August. Hines showed up at the lushly landscaped Reading race with a 44 point advantage over Tonglet, and prior to the event, Tonglet stated his own intentions.

"We are going to keep our heads on straight," said Nitro Fish Suzuki rider Tonglet, whose team consists of his father Gary, the tuner, and brother GT, the crew chief. "Everything [has been] working to our advantage. We want to keep up the momentum and stay strong at all three races. Then we’ll see how everything plays out."

By the conclusion of the first session of qualifying, it was evident that the Harley-Davidson team was armed and ready to protect their position in the standings, though, and while Tonglet rode to a 7.031 and initially landed in the No. 7 spot, Eddie Krawiec ripped off a track-record setting 6.893. Teammate Hines wasn't too far off with a 6.921.

In the second session, Tonglet improved to a 6.907 that wasn't enough with Krawiec's also-improved 6.855 at 195.85 mph that easily protected the pole and reset both ends of the track record.

Hines has yet to win at Maple Grove Raceway, but his brother and crew chief, Matt, won at the historic track three times (1997, 1999, and 2000). Krawiec won the Toyo Tires title in 2009 and looks to defend his title.

This weekend is Tonglet's first shot at the event win, obviously, but his brother, GT, holds the track record for speed at 194.77 mph set at the 2001 event.

GOING FISHING IN READING - The Nitro Fish colors are taking over Maple Grove. Top Fuel racer Clay Millican has returned to competition in the Nitro Fish-backed Top Fuel dragster, joining Pro Stock racer Greg Stanfield and Pro Stock Motorcycle rider LE Tonglet in waving the colors of Kenny Koretsky's Nitro Fish. Pro Stock racer Bob Yonke is sporting the vibrantly colored Nitro Fish colors as well, driving a GXP owned – and formerly driven – by Koretsky.

The Burleson, Texas, racer's crew, lead by tuner Stanfield, is working to figure out a few issues with Yonke's regular ride, another Pontiac GXP, and break the string of DNQs that have plagued them for the previous four events.

"We just haven't had enough time to test [my car] and sort things out to get it to run as well as we know it will," said Yonke. "We talked with Kenny and he said, 'Well, why don't you bring my other car out, and we can promote Nitro Fish at my home track.' Hopefully, we can get in the show and help Greg [Stanfield], because right now, it's all about helping our teammate win the championship."

Yonke recorded a runner-up at the delayed Arizona NHRA Nationals which began in Phoenix and concluded three weeks late at the Gatornationals in Gainesville. He was also one of four cars to make it to the final round of competition at the first race in Charlotte this season, the inaugural Four-Wide Nationals.

"I kind of threw my team a curveball, trying to get into a new car in Charlotte [at the second event of the season held at zMax Dragway] without really being able to test it," said Yonke. "These cars, they react totally different when you put in a different motor and a different clutch package. Me and my naïve way off thinking, I thought, well we can do this in a couple of days. Well, it doesn't happen that way.

"We're tired of the DNQs, and if I'm not in, I'm not able to help Greg out with the championship chase by giving myself the opportunity to take out Mike Edwards, Greg Anderson, Allen Johnson, Jason Line, or anybody else. I need to be there for my teammate. Kenny and Eddie [Guarnaccia, who tunes the cars with Stanfield] both know this car really well, and Greg knows it because he ran it a few times. This car is running great, and we should have a good opportunity here."

FIRST RUN FELT SO GOOD - To say Clay Millican was a bundle of nerves waiting out a four hour weeper delay at Maple Grove Raceway Friday afternoon wouldn't tell the entire story.  

Millican wasn't on edge. He was more anxious to get the first run under his belt than he was concerned the team might embarrass themselves after being out of competition for nearly a year.

“I don't honestly know how long it's been,” Millican admitted when asked just when the last time he raced a top fuel dragster. “But, I know one thing – we're here, we're prepared – we're ready. I've got my same old boys back. Everybody here has been there, done that. We've got a couple of young guys who hopefully are going to show the world what they can do. This will be their first go at tuning a top fuel car.

“Justin Crosslin who has worked with me for nine years, through all my championships, is co-tuning the car. Also, new to our team is Mike Domagala, he's a veteran of the sport. I call him a young guy. He is a young guy, He's worked with such greats as Tim Richards, Brian Corradi, and Mark Oswald. He's been there and done that. He is new to our team. He is the one guy we brought in to help us out. I am really looking forward to what these young guys can do.”

After being out for a year, and suffering near catastrophic damage to his business in Memphis, one would think the team went out to a local track and made some practice runs, just to knock off the rust and get re-aquainted with each other. This team didn't have the luxury of such a test.

“None. None,” Millican said twice to drive home the point this race would also be the first test session for the operation since they shut down after Memphis in 2009, “This is the first time. The only time I have even sat in the car is one week ago. We started it up on the jack stands and that is about the most exciting jack stand run I have ever been a part of. It was awesome just to hear the thing run again. I can't wait to get the first run out of the way.”

Prior to making the first round qualifying run, Millican admitted to having a few butterflies; not many but a few.

“Absolutely,” said Millican when asked if he was at all nervous. “To quote Brett Farve, 'if it don't scare the (crap) out of you, it's not worth doing.' But, that's the truth. Anybody that doesn't have a little fear for these things has probably run too long.”

Once the pass was done, Millican was all smiles and ready for more.

“It was absolutely awesome,” said Millican, a huge smile on his face. “The guys did a great job. If this was a Cinderella story it would have run low et of the world but, you know what, the car was perfect, nothing fell off, it was a good safe run first time out with Justin and Mike D tuning.

I think we ended up ninth and I call that success.”

Millican improved with his second round run however he slipped from 9th to 12th in the order.

While Millican was more than happy to be at the track driving his top fuel dragster, he hasn't been sitting on the sidelines for the past year doing nothing. In the days prior to Reading Millican flew from Bristol to Memphis to Phoenix and then into Reading.

“I do Pinks All Out and I have a brand new show which just started filming,” started Millican. “Let me back up and go over my last week schedule. Saturday I was in Bristol filming Pinks All Out. I left Bristol Sunday – flew home and got there about eight that night. Monday morning I flew out to Phoenix to film my new show which I can't tell you about. It will be huge. It is huge, huge news for drag racing. I was there until Wednesday, flew straight to (Reading) and got in about 10 pm Wednesday night.”

WE'RE UNDER A TRUE DELAYED RAIN DELAY

After a 2009 NHRA event plagued by rain water percolating to the racing surface days after rain drenched the Reading, Pa. region, officials at Maple Grove Raceway took the initiative to ensure the problem wouldn’t happen again.

The starting line launch pad was extended by 300 feet to measure 820.

The asphalt from the end of the concrete pad was milled by 2 inches. A new paving mix was installed from the end of the concrete to 250 feet past the finish line for a total of 1,275 feet.

Maple Grove, in the midst of a challenging economic climate, made an investment of $300,000 for the upgrades.

In the end, Maple Grove’s admirable efforts may not be enough.

Reading was deluged with rain in the days leading into the NHRA Toyo Tires forcing race officials to delay sportsman parking until Thursday in order for the soggy grounds to dry. As a result, sportsman qualifying for Thursday was cancelled with those classes afforded only one run on Friday before heading into eliminations.

Despite a perfect weather forecast, qualifying has been delayed on Friday due to water seepage making its way to the racing surface. Sportsman qualifying was delayed by at least 90 minutes while track personnel labor feverishly to clear the excess water.

As of 1:07 pm local time NHRA and track personnel were still working to resolve the issue at the top end.

UPDATE: Following nearly four hours of work by both NHRA and track personnel racing resumed and there have been no further issues.

MOVING AHEAD - What promised to be a weekend of writing a new chapter has turned into one of survival. Instead of leaning on previously announced crew chief Dickie Venables and assistant Kurt Elliot, Top Fuel racer Morgan Lucas will be looking to assistant crew chief John Defilippis to help get the car set up like their teammate Shawn Langdon's Lucas Oil/Speedco dragster, which is tuned by John Stewart and Joe Barlam.

Lucas parted ways with tuner Jimmy Walsh after the NHRA's last stop in Dallas and hasn't signed a replacement yet.

"We have a strong braintrust of guys to get us through the weekend," Lucas said. "We haven't found a long term solution just yet but John, Stewie and Joe have been working together for a long time and we don't expect there to be any major issues.

"We'll approach this race like any other. The first goal is to get the car from A-to-B with a decent time in qualifying. Then we'll start picking away at it to try and improve. We did stay after Dallas to test and the car ran really, really well so we're actually kind of excited about the possibilities."

HEAD OF THE PAK - Stock eliminator received only one qualifying session during Friday’s competition at the NHRA Toyo Tires Nationals hosted by Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.

First round eliminations will be held this afternoon following Super Stock, Super Street, Super Gas and Super Comp’s lone time trial run of the day.

Once again, the Mopar Drag Pak Challenger combination ascended to the top of the qualifying list claiming three of the first five positions.

Keith Lynch was the top runner with a -1.392 run under the B/Stock Automatic class index. Lynch’s 345-inch Challenger ran a 9.858 elapsed time.

On his heels was the C/SA 2009 Challenger of Eric Merryfield. His was -1.216 under his index with a 10.184. James Beattie Jr. was fourth.

The Drag Pak Challenger along with Ford’s new factory-to-strip Cobra Jet have been the source of controversy for the NHRA this season. Allegations of improper horsepower factoring has led to the NHRA revisiting the figures provided by the factories.

“We’re looking at the possibility of making changes to the (Stock/Super Stock) program,” Danny Gracia, NHRA’s National Technical Director told Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com earlier this week. “When new cars are introduced manufacturers supply us with certain horsepower ratings and it will take us some time monitoring their performance to determine what  the actual horsepower might be. In a perfect world, we could take all of them to a dyno and come up with a better answer.

“Right now, we’re using what the Ford and the Mopar representatives gave us in good faith, and we used their horsepower numbers. This is not the first time this has happened. It happened in the 90s with the Pontiacs with the 350 motors they had. They rated them at 275 horsepower and actually they ended up at 325 horsepower. We go by what the manufacturer gives us. We (NHRA) have never, as long as I have been here, just automatically added horsepower to somebody without evaluating their on track performance first.”- Bobby Bennett

FOR DARRELL - A standing-room-only crowd that included 20 past and present NHRA Full Throttle Series drivers helped raise over $30,000 for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, as the drag racing legend was feted Thursday night during the All-Salute to Darrell Gwynn held at the Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel.
 
The evening commemorated the 20th anniversary of the NHRA vs. NASCAR softball game that raised funds for Gwynn months after a racing accident left him paralyzed.
 
The evening, which was hosted by retired NHRA announcer Dave McClelland, included an autograph session, the induction of the 2010 Maple Grove Raceway Walk of Fame, an auction and a presentation, as Gwynn, Kenny Bernstein and other players remembered the charity softball game that drew 13,000 fans and raised $150,000 for Gwynn’s medical bills.

 

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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - ON THE EVE OF A RECORD-SETTING WEEKEND

A YEAR LATER - What a difference a year makes.

This time last year Robert Hight and the AAA Auto Club Ford Funny Car team were in the midst of a winning streak which would carry them to the 2009 NHRA Funny Car Championship title.

This year, Hight and team are coming off a three race streak of first round losses which have them with their backs against the wall in their quest to successfully defend their 2009 efforts.

Reading is for Hight “do or die. There is no room for error.” There are so many factors which must come together all in one weekend to keep Hight in the championship hunt. "Mathematically, I can win the next three races and do what Cruz Pedregon did in '08 and still not win the championship. There are so many ahead of me right now.”

“This is probably the worst start to any Countdown we have ever had,” admitted Hight. “It's frustrating because my car is not running bad.

“In Indy, I still believe we had the best car on the property. I gained points in every single round of qualifying (with the exception of one round). Then we go to Charlotte and break a throttle cable first round. Test on Monday and it was the best test session I've ever had. We were looking forward to going to Dallas. We ended up facing the boss, but it didn't matter. We shook.

“We've dug ourselves a huge hole and the only way out of the hole is to win (the final) three races.”

Being in a hole surprisingly has invigorated Hight and his crew. They've come up with a game plan which starts in Reading and includes banking every point possible up to and including hoisting the Wally at Reading, Las Vegas and Pomona.

“We're going to Reading, the latest we have ever run there, conditions are going to be stellar and you probably are going to see a new national record in Funny Car. Hopefully, it is from the Auto Club Ford. That is our game plan. To go there, collect every single point we can ever run, win that race and then I believe we are back in this deal.

“That is the way Jimmy likes to race and I am excited. Jimmy is very aggressive. He likes to throw down every run; swing for the fence. This is his kind of racing; his conditions and I am excited to be going into Reading.”

Hight feels confident for a couple reasons. One is because he's been in a championship hunt before and prevailed. The second is the team knows clearly what happened in the first three races of the Countdown, right down to why they broke a throttle cable in Charlotte which came as a shock following Force's throttle issue in the final round at Indianapolis.

“John's was a throttle bracket, the bracket that holds the cable and mine actually did snap the throttle cable,” explained Hight. “In all honesty, in both cases it shouldn't have happened. We've got to do a better job as a team in not overlooking those kinds of things. The only way my throttle cable broke was it got mishandled somewhere along the line and didn't get caught. Other than that, it's impossible to break a cable the way I broke it.”

It is those types of failures which must be avoided when a driver is in the throes of a championship battle. The AAA Auto Club crew has had almost two full weeks to go over their car with a fine tooth comb and tighten up their procedures.  

“What my guys have done since we ran last at Dallas is going to determine how we do the next three races,” admitted Hight. “You can't overlook anything. These cars, there is always something to do to them.   Going over ever single detail, every nut, ever bolt, making sure everything is perfect, is a full-time job no matter how many runs you're making.

“In John's case, that cable bracket could have been caught. You can usually look at something that broke and see that it is broken for a while – starting to fail for a while.

“The trick is to not let anything fail. Catch it before it fails. Be proactive. Certain things are going to fail; they're just not strong enough. That is the evolution of this sport. You get to where you beef everything up, making it stronger along the way. Along with more horsepower comes stronger everything – rear ends, drive shafts, wheels. Parts failures can't be avoided.”

MAKE OR BREAK - Heading into Reading, all 40 NHRA Countdown to the championship qualifiers are mathematically capable of emerging as series champion although some have a better chance than others. However, this weekend’s NHRA Toyo Tires Nationals in Reading, Pa., will play a pivotal role in elimination of some of the contenders.

The make or break line is a 300 point deficit after the event.

There are currently four Countdown participants, who unless they win this weekend’s event, are in danger of elimination. Those drivers on the bubble are David Hope [330], Craig Treble [327], Karen Stoffer [307] in Pro Stock Bike and David Grubnic [324] in Top Fuel.

Following the Las Vegas Nationals later this month, the elimination line will drop to 150.

The potential of a national record this weekend and the extra 50 points awarded could be enough to pull a racer out of elimination status, for now.

"We definitely could see a national record in Reading," said Stoffer, who set the record earlier this year in Gainesville, Fla. Andrew Hines lowered the mark to a 6.815 seconds last month at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

"The track there is always in good shape and the Weather Channel is saying it's going to be nice and cool, which is a really good recipe for quick times.

"The Countdown to 1 has been wild and we're only halfway through it at this point. I think if you factor in the potential for a national record this weekend and, if the moons line up just right, another chance at a national record in Pomona at the end of the season that you really can’t count anyone out just yet. We're certainly not giving up until Sunday night in California when they tell us it's over."

NOBLE IN PINK - NAPA AUTO PARTS is tipping its hat to everyone who is raising awareness about breast cancer with a special October promotion. Driver Ron Capps and Don Schumacher Racing are joining the cause by running a distinctive Susan G. Komen for the Cure® body design on the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger Funny Car at this weekend's 26th annual NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa.

During the month of October, NAPA All Out for the Cure® limited edition hats will be available for purchase at a participating NAPA AUTO PARTS store or NAPA AutoCare Center for just $3.99. The sale of each hat benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure. A minimum donation of $250,000 from NAPA to the cause will help research efforts as the search for the cure continues.

"It's really cool for us to be able to run the Susan G. Komen for the Cure body in Reading," said Capps, who is in the Countdown to the Championship battle for his first Funny Car crown in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. "It's obviously something that is close to NAPA's heart. We ran a similar design for the first time last year and people are still talking about it and making comments about the fact that we help promote a great cause.

"The paint scheme this year is really neat. I've already seen some of the hats and merchandise and I think the fans are going to love them, and all the profits are going to such a great cause.

"I know many fans either know someone who has been affected by breast cancer or have been affected themselves. So, it makes me personally proud to help support Susan G. Komen for the Cure."

Capps, in his 31 career victories in 64 final rounds, has never won at Maple Grove Raceway, located just outside of Reading, Pa., and is looking for his second season win this weekend as he aims to move up in the point standings from seventh place. Three races remain in the playoffs.

"The Reading race seems to be pivotal every year for the championship," said Capps, “even before the Countdown was in place. It's a very fast track. It's located in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, with a lot of trees around it which produce a lot of oxygen, and these 8000-horsepower cars love that. You can truly take one of the quickest rides you'll ever take in a Funny Car at this track, so you'd better be ready.

"There is no doubt in my mind that this race is going to play a large role in the championship hopes of drivers in pretty much every pro category. You'd better have your act together there because it's a track that could produce a lot of power."

NOT YOUR AVERAGE USED CAR - Greg Anderson comes into this weekend’s Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Reading, PA as a leading contender for this year’s NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock championship, with wins at the last two races in Charlotte and Dallas pulling them to within one round of the points lead.   Ironically, this late-season charge has come in a most unlikely vehicle, a 2009 chassis with over 500 runs that only a month ago had been relegated to breaking in tires at the KB Racing team’s shop in Mooresville, NC.  As Anderson explains, it was a well-calculated move made by his talented tandem of crew chiefs Rob Downing and Tommy Utt.
 
“After falling behind in Indy we knew we needed to shake things up if we were going to get back in the hunt for the championship, so Rob and Tommy made the call to change cars, and it was obviously a good one,” said Anderson.   “On the outside, it probably seemed like a risky move to park a car that had won two races and go back to another Summit Racing Pontiac we hadn’t used since last year, but it really wasn’t that big of a gamble, and I guess it’s somewhat appropriate given my background as a former used-car dealer.  
 
“Seriously, however, there really was nothing wrong with the old car to begin with, just as there was nothing wrong with one we just parked last month.  After all, we’ve won races in both.  It’s just that they weren’t working well at that particular time, so we switched chassis to try something different.  
 
“In the case of the Summit Racing Pontiac we’re using now, it’s fairly similar to the one Jason (teammate Line) is driving.   We’d made significant gains over the last few months with Jason’s car, so the thought to go back to this chassis had actually been in the back of our minds for some time, because we wanted to see if it would react as well as his did. Fortunately, it performed as we expected and we’re heading to Reading back in the game.”

CLEARLY DEFINED - Larry Dixon is clear about his preference headed into this weekend’s NHRA Toyo Tires Nationals in Reading, Pa. He’s perfectly content being the chased versus the chaser.

Dixon enters the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in first place in the NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel point standings.  He leads second-place Cory McClenathan by 69 points entering the fourth of six races in the Countdown to 1 NHRA Playoffs.

“With three races to go and almost a one-race lead, I’d rather be where we are than one race down with three to go so I like the Al-Anabi team’s position,” Dixon admitted. “You’re not racing for points during the regular season, you’re racing for position.  That said, we had a lot of points taken away with the points reset before the Countdown so you hope that what you’ve done during the regular season will allow you to carry over the same mindset into the playoffs.  What we did to get us to the front in the regular season should still apply during the six-race shootout for the title.”

And for Dixon, he’s not about to change anything based on prior success. The two-time Top Fuel champion has advanced to at least the semifinals in 15 of the 20 events this year and remains undefeated in final rounds with an 11-0 mark in the season’s first 20 races.  

“Unless I missed the meeting, I don’t think we’re changing our game plan for the rest of the playoffs,” Dixon explained. “We still want to go into every session and every round and be the quickest car of that session.  We hope that will be enough to reach the goal we have set for ourselves.”

Dixon has won more races this year than any other season in his career.  He is the first professional driver in NHRA history to win his first 11 final rounds in a season.  His 11-win total is also more than any other driver in the four NHRA Full Throttle classes. Two weeks ago in Dallas, Dixon was the No. 1 qualifier, but Shawn Langdon upset him in the second round of eliminations.

With three races, Dixon would like to go undefeated and let the chips fall where they may. This kind of performance makes looking over his shoulder unnecessary.

“If you don’t win the event, you start counting rounds,” Dixon said.  “We’ve won two out of the three Countdown races so far so we’ve left three possible rounds on the table.  We’ve won nine rounds and lost a chance for three more possible rounds. Last year, we won a total of 10 rounds during the playoffs. So three races in, we’re doing better, but so is the competition.  We just have to keep pressing as hard as we can, and hopefully, the rest will take care of itself.”

Dixon is the defending champion of the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals.  Last year, he defeated Chris Karamesines, Tony Schumacher, Shawn Langdon and Spencer Massey on his way to the winner’s circle. Last year’s win is his only victory at the Reading, Pa. track.

 

 

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