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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, THE PARTY'S OVER



There was a time earlier this season when Mike Neff showed how much of a toll pulling the double duty role was taking on him physically. He was chugging the Full Throttles and reaching deep into his inner man to find the last ounce of gusto available.

After beating Cruz Pedregon in the finals at the NHRA SuperNationals, the driver/crew chief of the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang proudly proclaims he’s got the titanic demands of holding down two jobs under control.

“I’m getting in the groove,” Neff admitted. “Going rounds helps. That’s four finals in a row. The team’s in the groove with what they’ve got to do. I’m getting in the swing of it too. What happens when you only go to the final round, it takes a lot out of you. We’ve been training for it the last four races.”

The victory marked the second win in five finals for Neff this season and sends him into the summer months of the schedule with the point lead. He’s 98 points, just shy of five round wins, ahead of Jack Beckman.

Englishtown didn't start off nearly as well as it ended for Neff.

“We started off with a bad day on Friday, the car was too fast and the track wasn’t what we anticipated it being,” Neff explained. “We smoked the tires twice. We came out Saturday and had to get on the other side of it, just back it way off and ended up running a 4.15. Then we picked it up on the first round and ran .07. It just took us a little while and we kept backing our way into it. We made small moves. To run a 4.12 or a 4.07 isn't much when you’re in this range, it’s just luck of the draw.”

And during the first round of eliminations, an anxious Neff waiting in staging wasn’t counting on lady luck for any favors based on what had transpired with his John Force Racing teammates. Force had just got outrun by Matt Hagan and Hight, the Topeka winner, went up in smoke against Johnny Gray.

The Englishtown event represents the home race for Forces' sponsor and Neff was the final barrier between hope and total weekend extinction.

“You always want to do well for the sponsor in their hometown race,” Neff explained. “I saw John go out and then Robert went out, and I said ‘aw man’. The pressure was on. Fortunately we were able to bring it home for all of them. I know it was exciting for them.”

If the day looked as if Neff had a firm handle on his 8,000-horse thoroughbred, it’s because he did. Familiarity has meant the difference between winning and losing to him.

The car Neff drives this season is the one he drove at the last two races of 2009, including his first win at the NHRA AAA Finals in Pomona. When he stepped away from driving, John Force took over the chassis with Neff tuning.

His reassignment to driving put him back in familiar territory.

“It’s definitely a positive,” Neff said. “The shop built the car. We took it apart at the end of the year and put it on the jig with the expectation of having to front-half it, freshen it up. The car was in perfect order, so I told the crew to put it back together. The less stuff you have to change the better off you are; in keeping a car consistent.”

BACK-2-BACK - Spencer Massey knows, of course, that the finish line makes a National Hot Rod Association victory official.
 
However, the young-but-wise FRAM-Prestone Dragster driver always has prided himself on having outstanding reaction times at the starting line.
 
That paid off Sunday in his SuperNationals final-round showdown at Englishtown, N.J.'s Old Bridge Township Raceway Park with points leader and dominator Del Worsham and the Al-Anabi Dragster, maybe the toughest car to beat since Larry Dixon's reign of terror last season.
 
Like Pro Stock Motorcycle winner Matt Smith, who also triumphed with a holeshot, and Mike Neff (Funny Car) and Allen Johnson (Pro Stock), whose opponents fouled out, Massey technically won at the beginning of the side-by-side race.  
 
Winning for the second straight event on the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series tour and for the first time here, Massey dealt points leader Del Worsham his lone defeat in four final rounds.
 
Moreover, Worsham's Al-Anabi Racing/Toyota Dragster is the one teammate Larry Dixon drove to 12 victories in as many final rounds last season en route to the Top Fuel championship. So the car's winning streak ended at 15 races.  
 
"I knew we had to be on our A game," Massey said after using a 3.821-second blast at 319.07 mph on the 1,000-foot course to trump Worsham's quicker and faster 3.815, 322.19.  "That car's killer, but so's this FRAM(-sponsored) car."
 
Massey is just 64 points off Worsham's pace in the standings entering the June 17-19 Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee.
 
The Don Schumacher Racing newcomer won an IHRA championship in Mitch King's car (ironically, driving the older car in which Dixon had won the 2003 NHRA series title) and drove for NHRA legend Don Prudhomme before a lack of funding shut down that operation.
 
But while Massey said "it's hard to fathom that we have won two in a row, especially in Englishtown," he also said that he had been disappointed that he hadn't won before the late May Topeka race. He said that in 20 passes during preseason testing at West Palm Beach, Fla., "the car was on a string every run. We wanted to come out and win at Pomona."
 
He said that with this second $50,000 victory in three final rounds in the past five events, "we kind of got the groove back again. I've been calling it our mojo. It's awesome to beat the Alan Johnson - Del Worsham car. That's what everyone wants to do out here.""
 
But he has faith in his team owner, whom he alternates between calling "Don" and "Mr. Schumacher," as well as crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler and all the mechanics. And he loves his FRAM Dragster.
 
"This car has had 23 runs from A to B without smoking the tires," Massey said. "Not all of those runs have been the fastest, but that's something that's hard to do. It's kind of unbelievable. All I have to do sometimes is get in there, stab the gas, steer, and get it to the finish line.
 
"The key to today's success, and all of our recent successes, is getting down the track, going from A to B consistently," he said. "Phil and Todd are doing an incredible job tuning this car to do just that. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be holding another pewter Wally,” he added after the post-race ceremonies.
 
In Sunday's final round, Massey cut a .065 light, just .015 of a second quicker than Worsham's .080.
 
"I knew I had to cut a quick light, because I knew Del would," he said. "I felt slow, because the light came on quick. I was only hoping Del was slower. When I saw the win light, I said, 'Thank God.' "
 
Just the same, Massey said, "I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary" at the Christmas Tree. "I was actually disappointed," Massey said, "because I shoot for .040s and .050s."

It wasn't a killer light."
 
It didn't need to be killer. It needed to be effective, and it was.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK - Allen Johnson had no misconceptions about the 2011 season even though most of the drag racing fraternity had anointed him as the driver to beat in pre-season testing.

The great expectations began with a 6.4-second run in testing, the first run into this realm for a 500-inch Pro Stocker, and before Johnson knew it, he was already crowned the champion by most of the media  before the season began. To the media, it was a sign of performance to come. To Johnson, it was a sign his new car was headed in the right direction.

Eight races into the season and Johnson finally won his first race of the season, capturing the NHRA SuperNationals title in Englishtown, NJ.

Those who heaped the high expectations believed Johnson had finally exorcised the problems which had plagued him. But, to Johnson, nothing could have been further than the truth. His win over teammate Vincent Nobile was right on his personal schedule.

“I was ready for this kind of start,” Johnson admitted. “We knew there was going to be a development phase on this chassis. We wanted to be good by the time the Countdown rolled around I think our evolution has been right on schedule. We have had a few bad breaks which have cost us like Topeka. We should have been to the semis or finals a few times already this year.”

Johnson’s Dodge Avenger body cloaks a prototype chassis developed by Ingersoll and chassis builder Rick Jones.

“They have worked really close because of what happened last year with our struggles in the Countdown with the car shaking. We made some real big changes to the chassis.”

Johnson was racing in his first final of the season while the 19 year old Nobile was in his fourth. Nobile was ready to drill Johnson and rolled the beams -.006 on the red side.

“I was .013 which wasn’t too bad,” Johnson said with a smile. “And I was green.”

The victory for Johnson comes while racing at Nobile’s home track. The second-generation racer lives on New York’s Long Island. In two weeks, the tour comes to Bristol, Tenn., and a mere stone’s throw from Johnson’s hometown of Greeneville, Tenn.

Johnson is assured his teammate will be out to even the score.

“If we could go to every final, we’d flip a coin to decide the winner. Both of us are fierce competitors. We’ll duke it out several more times this year.”

As proud as Johnson is with beating Kurt Johnson, Eric Enders and then Nobile in the finals, the semi-final win over Greg Stanfield was one to be proud of. He ran a 6.559 in the warmest track temperature [102] of the day for the class.

“We had a solid car all day,” Johnson explained. “That 6.53 we put down was pretty bad-to-the-bone. The car is coming around race by race. We are easing into it. We have a little bit different strategy. We plan to take this car and keep evolving it. It’s a different chassis design than any other one out here. I’m proud of my guys for this.”

The victory represents the ninth for Johnson in 22 career finals. Having an all-Mopar final was a special treat and marked the first since the fall 2009 Las Vegas event.

“We’re very proud of our team,” Johnson said. “Our goal was to have an all-team final round and to do it this early in the season is a dream come true.”

LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP - Matt Smith has felt elation -- and excruciating pain -- at Englishtown, N.J.'s Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
 
But after his holeshot victory Sunday in the SuperNationals against points leader Karen Stoffer, Smith was all smiles.
 
After all, Stoffer was making her third final-round appearance in four Pro Stock Motorcycle events so far this season. And Smith was back in the winner’s circle for the first time since last June at Norwalk, Ohio, after reaching his first final round since last fall at Las Vegas.
 
Moreover, he did it from the bottom half of the ladder, from the No. 9 position.
 
For Smith, the $10,000 victory, which also came at the expense of his wife Angie in the opening round and No. 1 qualifier Eddie Krawiec and Krawiec's Vance & Hines teammate Andrew Hines along the way, was his lucky 13th in a 119-race career.
 
"OK -- he's out of the doghouse," teased Angie Smith after her husband's victory that will put a special 60th Anniversary pewter Wally trophy on their mantel at home in King, N.C.
 
This triumph tipped Matt Smith's balance sheet at Raceway Park to the positive side. Smith earned the first victory of his career here in 2006. That was after a season-ending injury in which the wind tipped his bike at the top end of the track and the bike's foot peg pierced his foot.
 
But Sunday, all he could feel was satisfaction from knowing that he had hurt his best motor in qualifying but recorded this breakthrough victory because last night he "figured some things out, stayed up, read the computer, and did my homework. We did it all with clutch and with riding."
 
Smith won with a 6.900-second elapsed time in the quarter-mile at 191.73 mph aboard his Al-Anabi Buell, although Stoffer had the better time and speed at 6.889, 194.74 from her GEICO Powersports Suzuki. Smith had only a slight advantage on the Christmas tree: a .023-second reaction time to her .034.
 
"I really didn't have a bad light," Stoffer said. "It was where we wanted to be and where we put the bike."
 
Smith agreed. "We barely squeaked by Karen," he said.
 
Stoffer said, "Consistency got us to that final and got us to where we are in points, so we weren't going to go away from that.
 
"I'm sure Matt saw me, because I saw him the whole way down," she said. "I was getting tucked in as far as I can to scrub off the time. If we stick to this consistent game plan, maybe one of those pewter Wallys will come our way."
 
The Minden, Nev., resident defeated GT Tonglet, Michael Phillips, and Jerry Savoie with elapsed times that stacked up either first or second quickest in each round.
 
That performance level has kept her atop the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings. She leads Andrew Hines by 43 points and his teammate, Eddie Krawiec, by 69 points.
 
Stoffer, like Top Fuel champions Larry Dixon and Tony Schumacher and Funny Car icon John Force, has not scored a victory yet this season. But she indicated she isn't too concerned about that.
 
"I'm not looking at points right now," Stoffer said. "I'm just looking at how consistent the bike can be. You look at our E.T.s, and you look at the bike going straight. Whatever outcome we get because of that, we're going to get."
 
Smith said he "wanted to make a good impression on Khalid (Qatar's Sheikh Khalid Al-Thani). It's the first time he's been over here this year." The sheikh is owner of Al-Anabi Racing, which landed Del Worsham in the Top Fuel final and saw Frank Manzo gain his career 103rd Top Alcohol Funny Car victory.   
 
As for racing his wife at the start of the day, Smith said, "It was just a bad deal, having to race her in the first round. Hat's off to her -- we had a good race. He pointed out that their elapsed times in that match-up were best and third-best of the round.
 
Matt Smith is No. 5 in the standings as the Full Throttle Drag Racing tour heads to Tennessee's Bristol Dragway for the June 17-19 Thunder Valley Nationals.

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QUICK HITS: RACE DAY REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION

TOP FUEL

ROUND ONE

GREAT SMOKE-OUT - Doug Kalitta and Clay Millican made their opening pairing of eliminations spectacular, although not in the way either had planned. Kalitta won the tire-smoking pedal contest against the six-time IHRA champion.

BOSS WINS AGAIN - Morgan Lucas maintained a perfect record against buddy and teammate Shawn Langdon in their sixth match-up in eliminations. Lucas had a 3.816-second, 321.81-mph winning pass in the Geico Powersports/Lucas Oil  Dragster to Langdon's 3.981/ 306.88 in the Lucas Oil/Speedco Dragster. Lucas said he knew Langdon wasn't far behind. As soon as he unbuckled from his car and before he could dissect the run with Langdon, Lucas said, "He must have smoked the tires. I heard him for a long time."
    
EXCELLENT START - Antron Brown is no different than any other driver in that he wants to perform well in front of his hometown crowd. He started on the right foot Sunday with a strong run against Dave Grubnic. Brown jumped out of the gate first and beat Dave Grubnic to extend his Round 1 winning streak to eight races this year. Brown and Don Schumacher Racing mates Spencer Massey and Tony Schumacher are the only Top Fuel racers who have not lost in the opening round so far this season.   
 
LOVES ENGLISHTOWN - AND WINNING - Al-Anabi Racing/Toyota Dragster driver Larry Dixon was in elementary school when he made his first trip to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, back when his father, Larry Dixon Sr., raced. After defeating Terry McMillen, who lost traction early in the opposite lane, Dixon reminisced a bit, saying he was too young to be admitted to the pits.
 
"I don't know why I have the record I do at Englishtown, but I definitely like racing here. It's one of the tracks where my dad raced. It's one of the tracks that helped form our sport," Dixon said with a nod to this 60th anniversary for the NHRA. "It's no different than a Fenway Park or a Wrigley Field. This is like Fenway Park for me. I used to read about it a lot in Car Craft. We've got Sheikh Khalid (al-Thani, the Al-Anabi Racing team owner) and his posse in town. We'll try to get a win for him."
 
RED-LIGHT SPECIAL - In a rematch of last October's Las Vegas final round, Tony Schumacher won his first-round match against red-lighting Dom Lagana. Schumacher's winning 4.986-second pass at 141.25 mph might have looked like the U.S. Army Dragster was having mechanical trouble, but he said that wasn't the case. He knew Lagana had given away the race at the Christmas Tree.
 
"He left before the tree came on," Schumacher said. "It was a long tree. He's new at this, but he's a good driver. There's no reason for fans to see an oildown, so I clicked it off." In playing it smart, he forfeited lane choice to Brandon Bernstein for the quarterfinals."
 
WORSHAM ROLLS ON- Oklahoma drag-racing pioneer Fred Farndon made his first start in a 16-car field, although he has had the distinction of qualifying for a 32-car field. That might have been his only real highlight of the weekend. Points leader and No. 1 qualifier Del Worsham ended Farndon's weekend in the opening round to set up a second-round meeting with Doug Kalitta.
 
YOUNG STUDENT WRITES HIS OWN HISTORY - Spencer Massey is young, but he certainly isn't ignorant of the sport's history, particularly here at Englishtown.

"I've been watch this sport since I was four years old," he said, taking a quick trip down Memory Lane after eliminating Bob Vandergriff, his Topeka final-round victim. "It's a pleasure to have this car here," Massey said. Of his 3.816-second pass that earned him a quarterfinal meeting with Morgan Lucas, he said, "It went right down through there. That's what we're here to do."
 
BREAKS THE STREAK - Brandon Bernstein reached the 250 round-win plateau when he easily defeated Doug Foley to snap a three-race streak of first-round losses. "Us just getting a round-win is going to seem like a small victory. I'm looking forward to just getting past first round, to be honest," he said beforehand. The Copart Dragster driver is looking for his first trip to the winners circle since Oct. 11, 2009, at Richmond, Va.
 
"It's time for the winds of change to blow through our Copart pits," Bernstein said, and he gave credit for this small but significant turnaround to crew chief Todd Smith and assistant Donnie Bender and team for finding the winning combination.

Public-address announcer Alan Rinehart kidded Bernstein that he might have started to think his win light was broken. Replied Bernstein, "It feels like it has been. These guys have been busting their butts."
 
Bernstein was runner-up here in 2008 and qualified No. 1 here in 2004 and 2006. He's still seeking his first victory at Englishtown, where dad Kenny Bernstein has won more times than any other NHRA pro racer and won here more than at any racetrack.

QUARTER-FINALS

GRINNING AGAIN - Brandon Bernstein had yet another reason Sunday to bring that trademark smile out of hiding, defeating Tony Schumacher to advance to the semifinals for the first time in 12 races, since last fall at Dallas (where he lost to Shawn Langdon). Schumacher lost traction at about 300 feet and continued his winless streak.
 
"It feels great," Bernstein said, putting on an entertaining show for the large contingent of Copart and Mac Tools representatives here at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park this weekend. "It's been a long time coming."
 
SLIDING INTO SEMIS - Both Doug Kalitta and  Del Worsham were slipping and sliding down the 1,000-foot course, but Worhsam had his Al-Anabi Dragster hooked up a bit better than Kalitta did his Kalitta Air Dragster and won with a 3.834-second E.T. and 319.52-mph speed.
 
Worsham had been mindful even in the opening round that he had smoked the tires twice during qualifying so knew the Raceway Park surface could be a bit tricky. But he hung on for the victory and learned minutes later that he would be facing his teammate, Larry Dixon, in the semifinals.
 
He also was mindful of the Kallita family and its quest for a victory in memory of Scott Kalitta, who suffered fatal injuries here in 2008. "We're really thinking about Scott," Worsham volunteered after winning his first-round race.
 
CLUTCH MOVE - Larry Dixon said team manager Alan Johnson ordered a clutch adjustment just before he made his run against Antron Brown, and he joked that he wasn't sure if Johnson was trying to give him lane choice or trying to give it to his teammate and semifinal opponent Del Worsham. Only Johnson knows what he was doing and why he was doing it, but Worsham ended up with the lane choice against Dixon by three-thousandth of a second (3.834-3.837).
 
EASY PASS - Spencer Massey had no problem against Morgan Lucas in the second round, clocking a 3.807-second E.T. and 320.51-mph speed in his consistent FRAM-Prestone Dragster. He qualified No. 2 with an only slightly quicker 3.795.  


SEMI-FINALS

ALL ANABI – Del Worsham used teammate Larry Dixon as a springboard to reach his fourth final of the season. Worsham won on both ends of the track with a 3.827 to 3.814 decision. This season marks only the second time in nine seasons when Dixon hasn’t been in the winner’s circle.

A RIVALRY IS A RIVALRY – Spencer Massey repelled Brandon Bernstein’s effort to tap into E-town magic and broke a winless drought. Massey used a starting line advantage to lead Bernstein to the stripe, 3.825 to 3.845.

For the first time since joining the Don Schumacher Racing organization, Massey partakes in the rivalry with Al-Anabi.

“I run hard no matter who it is,” Massey said. “Those Al-Anabi cars are on a string but so are we.”

FINAL

MASSEY ROLLS – Spencer Massey showed off his starting line prowess while winning his second consecutive national event. The first year Don Schumacher driver captured his fourth career Top Fuel victory and second since replacing Cory McClenathan as driver of the FRAM dragster.

Massey grabbed .025 on the starting line against point leader Del Worsham and held him off for a 3.821, 319.07 to 3.815, 322.19 win.

 

FUNNY CAR

ROUND ONE

VALIDATION – Melanie Troxel didn’t get off to the best of starts in 2011 but for the last three races, her R2B2 flopper has made a 180 in terms of performance. Troxel failed to qualify for the first five races of the season.

Today, not only did she achieve her first round win in beating Paul Lee, she also scored low elapsed time with a 4.071, 310.27.

“It feels so good to be out here and to be in a car with a shot to win,” admitted Troxel. “I kind of forgot to be honest with you. I’m having a great time to be honest. We have a great group of guys out here on the Funny Car. Aaron Brooks, John Medlen and the whole team stuck together through some really tough times. I can’t say enough about the job they’ve done and the team wasn’t fighting. We knew we’d get this thing turned around.”

WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP, WIN FIRST ROUND – A first round win is something to be proud of. In beating Tony Pedregon in the first round, you would have thought Tim Wilkerson won something more.

“You’d think I won the championship just getting out of the first round,” Wilkerson exclaimed. “I can’t get out of first round.”

Wilkerson had lost five first rounds thus far in 2011 headed into Englishtown, the eighth stop on the tour.

“I don’t like bragging about my kids or my car,” Wilkerson said. “My kid comes home with an earring and a purse, my car comes home on a tow truck so I’m not bragging on them yet.”

DIEHARD, THE SEQUEL – For as tight as their 2010 championship battle proved to be, it took eight races for Matt Hagan and John Force to match up in a 2011 race. Force drove his way to the 2010 season championship, leaving Hagan as the odd man out for the title.

Hagan had reason to smile today as he beat Force, 4.101, 303.64 to 4.128, 309.49.

“This is way bigger than an average round win,” Hagan admitted. “Any time you line up against the Force camp, you have to bring your ‘a’ game. You know, I just have so much respect for John Force. He earned what he got last year. We’re trying to get back down there and hunt it down this year.”

Force has lost in the first round three times this season.

CRUZ CONTROL – He wasn’t the quickest winner of the first round but for No. 1 qualifier Cruz Pedregon, he didn’t need to be. Pedregon ran a 4.141, 302.08 to beat No. 16 seeded John Smith.

“First round has been tough for us and we’ve gotten tripped up a time or two,” Pedregon said. “We made some good calls and the fans here in Englishtown are in for a treat today.”

Pedregon, a time-time series champion, has lost in the first round twice in 2011.

LUCK VS. SKILL – There’s no doubt Johnny Gray has skills having raced in six different divisions. But as much experience as he possesses, there’s no replacement for luck.

Gray pedaled his way to a 4.804, 274.39 to beat Topeka winner Robert Hight, who smoked the tires and lost with a 4.888, 227.80.

“Mostly luck plays into it,” Gray admitted. “You just do the best you can and hope you can get it hooked up. If it starts pulling, you put it on the floor and leave it there until it quits pulling or blows up.”

IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION – Since opening the season with a semi-final appearance, Ron Capps hasn’t made his way out of the second round. Capps ran a strong 4.116, 306.53 to get the best of Jim Head.

STRONG STATEMENT – Mike Neff isn’t easily influenced, even when he’s the lone survivor in the camp.

The driver/tuner ran a strong 4.079, 311.77 to beat Mike Neff in a rematch of April’s NHRA Spring Nationals Funny Car field.

“I don’t change the plan,” said Neff, after watching teammates Force and Hight lose in the first round. “When we got off to a bad start on Friday, so I had to regroup and make some conservative runs on Saturday. I kept pecking at it and stepped it up for the first round. If you went off of what everyone else did – you’d go crazy.”

THE CROWING ACHIEVEMENT – Jack Beckman’s victory meant a lot to the Don Schumacher Racing organization. For the second race in a row, all seven of the DSR teams advanced past the first round. The two-time 2011 winner Beckman ensured the streak continued with a .004 margin of victory over defending event champion Bob Tasca III.

QUARTER-FINALS

CAPPS TO THE SEMIS – Ron Capps continued the march to his second semi-final appearance of the season. The last time was at the season-opening NHRA Winternationals.

Capps ran a 4.132, 303.37 to easily cover Tim Wilkerson, who has yet to reach a “traditional” semi-final round. Wilkerson was a finalist in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals but lost to the other two cars.

“I told Tim’s wife I hate racing them because they are good people,” Capps said. “We do like to beat them, though.”

CRUZING ON – Cruz Pedregon, the quickest flopper in qualifying, stepped up from an obvious conservative effort in the first round. Pedregon ran a 4.074, 305.84 to knock off two-time 2011 winner Jack Beckman.

“It’s good to have the Snap-on Toyota running good and winning rounds again,” Pedregon said. “We didn’t change a thing after the first round.

HAGAN’S MOMENTUM ROLLING – Matt Hagan, who hasn’t been past the second round in the last four races, broke his streak of misfortune in a run where his engine gave up the ghost in the lights.

Facing the quickest driver on race day Melanie Troxel, Hagan was able to build up a good lead when she smoked the tires just shy of the 300-foot mark.

“It went out there and nosed over in the middle of the track,” Hagan said of his engine. “I lifted off of it because I didn’t want to do something stupid and blow the body off. I decided to get back on it to get across the finish line. I’m just glad to be going rounds.

ONE MAN GANG – Mike Neff showed no ill-effects of being the lone remaining John Force Racing car left in competition. He thundered to a winning 4.083, 313.66 to beat Johnny Gray.


SEMI-FINALS

OH CHUTE – Cruz Pedregon won a race against Matt Hagan which could be categorized as weird. In a run where Pedregon and Hagan were reasonably close, Pedregon’s parachute accidently deployed prematurely.

Hagan was struggling on the run and despite Pedregon’s issues couldn’t muscle enough power to drive around.

“I thought we blew it up and kept waiting for Matt to come around me,” Pedregon admitted.

RUNNING ON MEAN – When you’re the only person left in a fight, sending a message of strength sometimes can work in your favor. Mike Neff sent his in beating a resurgent Ron Capps.

Neff lowered race day low elapsed time with a 4.067 second pass at a top speed 313.00. Sometimes, he admits, it’s time to get the car and driver on the same page.

“It seems like if I get the car running good, then I’m not driving good,” Neff said. “Just getting it together on the same day is the hard part.”

FINAL

CRUZ FOULS, NEFF CRUISES – In an odd starting line scenario, Cruz Pedregon left -.104 in the red while Neff went .104 in the green.

With the race already decided at the hit, Neff went through the motions with a winning 4.071, 314.09.

Neff scored his third win of the year while Pedregon remained winless. John Force Racing and Don Schumacher Racing have won all eight Funny Car races this year.

 

PRO STOCK

ROUND ONE

HOUSTON SUCCESS, E-TOWN FIRST ROUND – In Houston, Ronnie Humphrey and Vincent Nobile were the drivers to beat in qualifying and on race day. Ironically, the two never crossed paths and haven’t all season long.

Race day trumped qualifying as Nobile ran a 6.554, 210.93 to beat Humphrey who pushed in the clutch early.

FISH BIT AGAIN – Greg Stanfield has a documented advantage over Greg Anderson if they meet in the first round. For the second time this season, Stanfield upended Anderson on a holeshot in the opening round, this time by a 6.570, 201.05 to 6.517, 212.53 margin.

FAMILY FEUD – Not really, but rack up another win in the battle for Johnson supremacy to the Mopar runner Allen Johnson as he beat Kurt Johnson for the second time in 2011.

Allen won with a 6.536, 211.86.

TEAMMATES, OBVIOUS AND NOT SO OBVIOUS – A pair of teammates, one clearly marked and the other pseudo met in the first round.

For the first time ever, former Comp eliminator opponents turned Pro Stock teammates Rodger Brogdon and Steve Kent met in professional competition. Brogdon won with a 6.531, 211.26.

In the other match, Mike Edwards ran a 6.538, 211.26 to beat engine customer Ron Krisher, who lost with a 6.588, 211.49.

INTO THE SECOND ROUND – Erica Enders (V. Gaines), Shane Gray (Larry Morgan) and Jason Line (Bob Benza) advanced to the second round.

Line recorded the low elapsed time of the round with a 6.526, 211.16.

QUARTER-FINALS

BOTTOM HALF WARRIORS – On paper the numbers can be deceiving. But for Mike Edwards, this weekend, they have been a way of life. Edwards qualified 12th this weekend, his worst of the season, and this isn’t counting the rain-shortened qualifying of the NHRA Winternationals.

Edwards beat Rodger Brogdon with a 6.562, 211.13.

“The car isn’t running as good as it should. It won first round with a good run but we went in the wrong direction in the second.”

If Edwards wins, he will become only the second bottom-half qualifier to win the event.

ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER – Two weekends ago, Greg Stanfield felt the sting of losing a race to Shane Gray in Topeka. Stanfield reciprocated the feeling in the second round.

Stanfield ran 6.566, 210.70 to beat Gray’s 6.587, 211.03. For as impressive as his win was, Stanfield isn’t convinced he’s got the car to beat.

“We’ve been struggling with it this weekend,” admitted Stanfield.

AJ ADVANCES –Allen Johnson blasted out in the pre-season with high expectations on his shoulders. His season to this point has been anything but a measure of pride. For only the second time this season, Johnson advanced to the semis.

“The car is starting to come around nicely,” Johnson said. “This Mopar Dodge Avenger is going to be strong for the rest of this season.”

Johnson ran a 6.533, 211.23 to beat Erica Enders’ 6.547, 211.

THE KID IS HOT – Vincent Nobile is quickly earning his keep as a master on the starting line for team owner Nick Mitsos. In taking out low qualifier Jason Line, his reactions made all the difference in winning or losing.

Nobile was .004 quicker off of the starting line and won with a 6.568, 210.87 while Line battled to the stripe with a 6.568, 210.67.


SEMI-FINALS

MO-PAR – For the first time since Larry Morgan beat Rickie Jones in the final of the 2009 NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, the Pro Stock final round will feature a pair of Mopars.

Vincent Nobile advanced to his fourth career final round when Mike Edwards had problems with the burnout and the woes transferred over to the race. Nobile won with a 6.629 at 210.83.

Pseudo teammate and engine builder Allen Johnson laid down a strong 6.555, 210.70 to get around Greg Stanfield’s 6.559, 210.87.


FINAL

JOHNSON BREAKS DRY SPELL – The kid was up to the challenge but the veteran had the cool and calm demeanor. Allen Johnson scored his first win of 2011 and ended a winless drought dating back to July 2010.

Nobile rolled the beams -.006 handing the victory to Johnson who was off the pace with a 6.689, 210.64. Nobile wasted a 6.618, 211.13.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

ROUND ONE

UPSET CITY - Reigning champion LE Tonglet and seasoned rider Chip Ellis were upset victims in the first round.
 
Tonglet, beset with motor problems late in qualifying but No.7 nonetheless, was trying to cobble together two wounded engines to make one decent-running one Sunday. But his effort, as noble as it was, wasn't enough to hold off the lower-qualified Michael Phillips. Phillips, the 2010 winner here at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, was the No. 10 qualifier. He ran a 6.903-second elapsed time to Tonglet's 6.994.
 
Justin Finley, the Stamford, Conn., Suzuki rider making his first NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle race, got the better of Ellis via a holeshot. Finley, of Nextlevel Racing,  clocked a .022-second reaction time to Ellis' .086, and his 6.976-second pass at 192.33 mph trumped Ellis' quicker 6.957-second E.T. at 191.05 mph.
 
Finley, who'll turn 31 years old in 17 days, has raced in the Mid-East Coast MiRock Series but made his NHRA debut in March at the Gatornationals. With crew chief Craig Treble, he entered the Houston and Atlanta events. Finley served as along with Craig Treble and Michael Phillips on the Attitude Apparel Pistonator Pro Stock Motorcycle team.
 
He got lane choice for his second-round meeting with fellow rookie Jerry Savoie -- who had sat out of motorcycle racing as many years as Finley has lived.
 
Jim Underdahl, the 13th-place qualifier, joined the upset parade, knocking off Hector Arana, who was late off the starting line. Underdahl won with a 6.925-second pass that was .012 of a second quicker than his qualifying time.
 
HINES RESTORES ORDER - Harley-Davidson rider Andrew Hines had to use a holeshot against Hector Arana III to avoid a third straight upset in this class' first round. He won with a 6.965-second E.T. at 191.02 mph to Arana III's 6.963 /190.30.
 
AFTER YOU, HONEY - The first Pro Stock Bike pairing saw a "family feud" of sorts, with Matt Smith winning against wife Angie Smith. Although she launched her Safety Sentry Buell first with a .061-second light, Angie Smith lost the close side-by-side duel, as Matt Smith posted a 6.861 / 192.93 to her 6.896 / 190.19.
 
No one officially heard top qualifier Eddie Krawiec snoring in Sunday's first round, but he definitely had a snoozy start, with a  .181 reaction time. However, he ran down Junior Pippin to advance to the second round. Krawiec, the hometown hero at Raceway Park as he grew up in Old Bridge and served as Raceway Park's dragstrip manager before joining the Vance & Hines Motorsports team. He used a 6.954/195.65 to defeat Pippin and his 7.223/180.84.
 
STOFFER SAILS ON - Points leader Karen Stoffer ruined the rest of the Tonglet family's day, eliminating GT Tonglet.  That ran her Sunday record to 9-3 this season. She and Andrew Hines are the only riders not to lose so far this season in the opening round.

QUARTER-FINALS

SPOILER - Matt Smith spoiled Eddie Krawiec's dream of winning at his hometown track, reaching the semifinals from the bottom half of the ladder. The No. 9 qualifier took out the No. 1 starter with a 6.920 / 188.02 effort to Krawiec's 6.959 /189.52.
 
Meanwhile, the Vance & Hines Motorsports team's hopes remained alive with Andrew Hines's 6.946-second, 188.46 victory over Jim Underdahl.
 
'SOMETHING LOVELY,' FOR STOFFER - Michael Phillips said at Houston that he had wanted "to do something lovely," and certainly he wanted to repeat as champion here at Englishtown. But Karen Stoffer, the No. 2 qualifier, had other ideas and had a lovely 6.870 seconds and 195.14 mph to defeat Phillips and advance to the semifinals for the fourth time in as many chances this year.
 
GOT TO BE QUICK - Jerry Savoie knows that when you deal with alligators, you have to have quick reflexes. He raises alligators down in Cutoff, La., and maybe that honed his skills on the Christmas Tree, for he registered a perfect reaction time (.000 seconds). Just as perfect as Savoie's effort was, second-round opponent Justin Finley was beaten before he got a single tire revolution. Finley fouled out with a red light. Savoie earned the right to take on points leader Karen Stoffer and her sizzling Geico Suzuki bike with a 6.966-second run at 188.20.


SEMI-FINALS

REDEMPTION – Matt Smith fell from the pace early in the season but vowed by mid-season he’d be back. His words proved prophetic as he ran a 6.902 to pull away from Andrew Hines, who lost with a 6.971, 191.17.

Karen Stoffer ended Gerald Savoie’s Cinderella bid with a 6.907.

FINAL

SMITH BEATS WIFE, WINS RACE – Angie Smith offered her husband a free pass out of the doghouse when he went on to win the event after eliminating her in the first round.

Smith was lightning quick off of the line against Karen Stoffer and never looked back en route to his 13th career national event victory.

The margin of victory in the 6.900 to 6.889 race was .0002.

 

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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - SATURDAY IN ETOWN: A WILD AND EXPENSIVE DAY FOR SOME

SCARY MOMENT - The Top Alcohol Dragster community faced tense moments during the first round of eliminations at the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ. Monroe Guest and Brandon Greco were involved in a two-car crash which left both drivers uninjured and the Raceway Park shutdown area littered with debris and mangled dragsters.

Guest left the starting line first in the race and led the match from start to finish, also scoring his best run of the weekend. He crossed the centerline and at this point everything on the run went terribly wrong.

The right tire on Guest’s dragster failed and the left blew as well.  The parachutes deployed automatically and the car immediately turned right sending him into Greco’s lane. There has been no official cause determined for the tire failures.

Both cars impacted the right lane retaining wall and slid to the stop. It appeared the two cars impacted one another but couldn’t be immediately confirmed by eyewitnesses.

Guest was declared the winner since the accident happened past the finish line. If he’s able to repair the damaged dragster, he has lane choice over Duane Shields in the second round.

CRUZ IN CONTROL - Robert Hight made the prediction and Cruz Pedregon delivered, albeit a day late.

A day after Hight proclaimed Pedregon had the fastest car and could have been provisional number one on Friday, Pedregon turned up the wick enough to overtake the John Force Racing driver with a 4.048 second pass at 304.78 miles per hour on the final day of qualifying at the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ.

“Robert’s said that the past few times and yet he’s beaten me the last few times,” Pedregon said with a smile. “That’s a nice compliment from him and his team has won their fair share of events this year. We do have a fast car, in the top four.”

Pedregon’s run came in the third session when many of his fellow racers were either hit or miss with their runs.

“This has been a good season for us, even though we haven’t been able to punch it into the winner’s circle,” Pedregon said. “We’re fast enough; we just need to work on being consistent. We are having a few clutch issues, not exactly where we want to be. The No. 1 run we made early in the day, it put me in the seat and I knew it was on a good one.”

Pedregon admitted his 4.04 on Saturday was initially intended for Friday’s night session.

“Looking at the [perfect] air we had, we were far off with our combination, not even in our right minds,” Pedregon admitted. “One of my crew guys joked we could have qualified for Top Fuel.”

The crew man was correct. Pedregon’s run would have actually placed him 16th in the field.

“We backed it off and went a 4.04, so that just goes to show you how off we were,” Pedregon continued. “You have great conditions and it just makes for great power.”

Pedregon’s No. 1 is his second of 2011 and the 41st of his career.

“None of them are easy and they are all special,” Pedregon added.

Pedregon races John Smith in the first round on Sunday.

MY SPORTSMAN DIARY - SATURDAY EDITION - One of the most difficult tasks for a sportsman racer during a national event is dealing with all of the down-time once pro qualifying and eliminations begin.

On Saturday, the sportsman racers waited patiently as the pros ran two sessions of qualifying.Unfortunately, a few oil downs and on-track accidents pushed back sportsman eliminations late into the evening hours.

I was fortunate enough to win second round Saturday morning at roughly 10:45 AM. Then, I finally ran third round close to 9:00 PM. After winning third round we were paged right back to the staging lanes for fourth round at 10:00 PM.

No matter how fast or slow you are racing on the quarter-mile, most drag racing outcomes relate to mental preparation. I’ve read several articles about mental preparation and how it relates to athletes, or in my case, drag racers. It was really difficult to stay focused for 11 hours and then attempt to prepare for another round of eliminations.

I began racing Saturday with great confidence. I easily swept through second and third round knowing that my car was dialed-in correctly, and that my reaction times were decent enough to lay down good package runs against my opponents.

Fourth round, I raced against my fellow friend Dusty Lowell. My mind was racing a bit in the pits as I studied the weather conditions. The car was also still hot from third round, and we were paged right back up to the staging lanes for fourth round. I went from sitting around all day trying to stay awake, to feeling overwhelmed by the sudden change of pace. I also began realizing I was one of 12 cars left in competition in my class.

As I strapped in my car for my race against Dusty, I began thinking up a game-plan for how to race against him. My transmission was now warmed up and I knew my car was capable of running a quicker elapsed time than the round before. I also knew Dusty would hit the brakes against me, whereas I was attempting to dial tight and lay down a good package.

As I sat in the burn-out box, I watched Bubba run too quick and lose. Now, as I began my burn-out, I figured my Camaro was capable of running quicker than the 11.66 e.t. I chose to dial. At this moment, I began to second guess myself. Bubba and I both had agreed on our dial-ins and I was sure we were correct. Obviously, we were wrong.

Read the full article

BACK ON TOP - Drag racing fans have become so accustomed to spectacular runs and jaw-dropping numbers that they expect more and more of the impossible without even realizing it.
 
That's what was happening Saturday at the SuperNationals at Englishtown, N.J.'s Old Bridge Township Raceway Park when cloud cover, cooler temperatures, and a lineup of hungry Top Fuel racers tried to knock points leader Del Worsham from the No. 1 position.
 
However, Worsham retained his spot, relying on his Friday 1,000-foot performance of 3.785 seconds at 322.34 mph in the Al-Anabi/Toyota Dragster to lead the field for the second time this season.
 
He has qualified no worse than second for the third straight race.
 
The Chino Hills, Calif., veteran racer stunned the class Friday, leaping from 11th place to first in the second overall qualifying session. He had smoked the tires in his first attempt Friday, but in the evening run just let team manager Alan Johnson take advantage of the favorable conditions.
 
So he said he was confident as early as Friday night that his spot was not likely to be in danger.     
 
"I thought a (3.)78 would hold," Worsham said. "The track's great. A 3.78 is a fast run, so to make improvements from there, you have to really do things special.
 
"We saw a lot of 3.80s out there, but again ... It was another great run. We're good for tomorrow."
 
Spencer Massey, the No. 2 qualifier, was the only other Top Fuel driver in the 3.7-second range in the Don Schumacher-owned FRAM-Prestone Dragster.
 
Worsham will square off against Oklahoma's Fred Farndon in Sunday's opening round which is set to begin at 11 a.m.
 
The former Funny Car driver was runner-up here last season to Bob Tasca III. He also won at Raceway Park in that category in 1991 and 2005.

FRONT OF THE LINE - Pro Stock racer Jason Line went to the starting line for the third qualifying session at the NHRA SuperNationals hoping just to make a safe run. Instead, he made a quick one, so quick he heads into race day sporting a new track record and the No. 1 seed.

Line ran a 6.508 at 212.19 miles per hour to overtake the 6.510 recorded by Shane Gray in the second session on Friday.

“We’ve got a really good hot rod right now,” said Line, current point leader and winner of three events thus far in 2011. “There were several cars that could have and probably should have run a 6.49. We just didn’t quite get all of it.”

Line entered the final day of qualifying as the fifth quickest with a 6.517.

“Hat’s off to the NHRA because the track has been good,” Line pointed out. “Every track on the tour has its nuances but it turns into a chess match with the track every week.”

The pole position marks his first ever at Old Bridge Twp. Park and his 19th overall.

“I do feel like we have a good direction right now,” Line said. “That’s always a good thing. Some days it feels like you are going through data collection where making laps and learning things but not necessarily going faster. But now, I feel like some of those things are starting to pay off. I feel very good about our program.”

HOMETOWN HERO KRAWIEC CASHES IN - Eddie Krawiec worked his way up to manager of the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park dragstrip. He married "The Pizza Girl" there, and he and the former Annemarie Tribuzio have a beautiful year-old daughter, Kayden.
 
He got the girl, the cool job at the racetrack, the primo NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle riding gig on the Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson, the 2008 series championship, eight event victories ... and, as of  Saturday, his first top qualifying position for the SuperNationals on his home track.
      
"More important -- round wins. I want to win this thing," he said after his track-record 6.819-second pass at 195.62. "I just want a good, consistent motorcycle. Hopefully I can do my job right and go four rounds."
 
Krawiec reached the final round of this race in 2009 before losing to Craig Treble. He said that was because he allowed the pressure to control him.
 
"There's not any extra pressure, really. I try to go into any race the same. Two years ago, I let this thing slip through my fingers, because I did let it get to me."
 
His crew chief is Matt Hines, the three-time series champion.
 
"Matt Hines has given me an awesome motorcycle. I feel like I can go out on race day and make a few laps," he said. "The wind died down (by the fourth and final qualifying session Saturday). That definitely has a big impact on us."

STILL NO ANSWERS – One day after his Valvoline Pro Stocker came to a smokey and grinding halt, Ron Krisher is no closer to an answer explaining why his right front tire went flat during his run in the second session of qualifying at the NHRA SuperNationals.

“The smoke started coming into the car and I thought I had blown an engine and then I smelled it, knew it wasn’t the motor,” Krisher explained. “Then I just tried stopping the car.”

What could have been a calamity actually turned into a blessing. The right tire blew and left parachute only deployed. Had both parachutes blossomed they could have caused an unbalanced condition which might have caused an issue.

Krisher's immediate worry wasn’t focused on balancing his car as much as it was the scenery on the horizon.

“I looked ahead and said, ‘oh trees,” Krisher recalled. “It wasn’t slowing down. I was trying to brake it while the tire was flatter than a board.”

The veteran driver was able to stop safely, short of the Englishtown sand trap. A disheveled Krisher exited from his car thankful he’d walked away from what could have developed into a bad situation.

“Every bad thing you can imagine runs through your mind at 900 miles a minute,” Krisher admitted. “It’s amazing how much stuff runs through your mind in a situation like that, but I quickly focused in on those trees. My car wasn’t slowing down.”

Krisher’s team turned over the damaged tire to Goodyear tire officials to determine what caused the tire failure. Twenty four hours after the incident, there was no answer for what caused the tire to go down.

“We’re real lucky this car didn’t end up on the roof,” Krisher said. “I just had to keep tapping the brake. I had no intention of ending up in those trees down there.”

A post-incident inspection revealed a rip in the sidewall of the damaged tire but Krisher was sure the damage came after the tire had gone flat.

COFFMAN-YONKE SPLIT – Sponsor turned team owner J.D. Coffman confirmed he and Bob Yonke have gone their separate ways as Pro Stock team owners. Coffman will continue to field the car driven by Greg Stanfield.

“We’ve made a mutual separation between the two of us,” said Coffman. “I’ve taken over the team.”

Coffman confirmed Nitrofish, Indicom and now Lucas Oil will remain on-board as sponsors for the team.

According to Coffman, he will retain one of the team’s two cars while Yonke has the other, and currently has his part of the team up for sale.

YEA! ... AWWW - Shawn Langdon qualified the Lucas Oil/Speedco Dragster in seventh place but will have to face friend, teammate, and boss Morgan Lucas in the first round Sunday.
 
"Obviously we want to win for ourselves," Langdon said. "But you don't want to get too pumped up and rub it in to your teammates. We want to do well for Lucas Oil and our guys, but we also want our teammate to run good, too."
 
Lucas, the No. 10 qualifier, said, "It's never fun racing your teammate. It can be a weird mixed-emotion thing. You do get pumped up to have that fun inter-camp camaraderie. The downside is that somebody is going to lose first round tomorrow, but one of us is going to win first round, too.

"Shawn and I have been pretty close on the tree this weekend," he said, "so it should be an entertaining drag race at the very least."
 
ODD MEN OUT - Luigi Novelli and Pat Dakin failed to make the field Top Fuel dragster field.

FINALLY, SOMETHING GOOD - Johnny Gray saved his best for last and the end result was a berth in Sunday’s final eliminations. Gray ran a 4.170, 299.46 pass during the final qualifying session to land 15th overall in the qualified order.

“We’ve had a lot of drama so far this weekend,” said Gray. “But this is a good car, which we’ve shown before and will again. We’re getting better, closer and, as I’ve been saying, when we get it, this will be a fast car.

“Lee Beard (crew chief) and the Service Central team did what they had to do – they got the car to go from A to B and into the show.”

Gray, who entered the weekend holding the ninth spot in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car standings, went into the final round on the outside looking in.

“We made some major hardware changes to the chassis before this race and I really like the way it drives,” said the 58-year-old Artesia, N.M., native and resident. “We keep getting better, round by round, finding things on each run to improve – and I’m still having fun!”

Gray’s enthusiasm carried over to the success of son Shane who put the Service Central Racing Pro Stock Pontiac GXP into the number two starting spot and was also quickest in two of the four qualifying sessions.

“I’m happy I’m running in Funny Car today and not in Pro Stock against him, the way he’s running,” said the proud papa, who ran a Pro Stock car last season. “It’s great how the (Gray Motorsports) team is coming together, especially with the win in the last race (Topeka) and his runs here in New Jersey. They’ve come a long way from the early part of the season.”

TWO 'UNDERDOGS' MEET - U.S. Army Dragster driver Tony Schumacher won't lead the field Sunday, but he said, "We made two great runs today, and I'm really pumped about race day. We're going to go after a trophy tomorrow." It would be his first this season, although he has had runner-up finishes at Gainesville and Atlanta.
 
"It's time we put one in the bank," he said. "We have as good a car as anyone else, so why not us this weekend?"
 
He'll start with Dom Lagana, who challenged him the final round last fall at Las Vegas.
 
"They have a competitive team over there. We'll have to keep our eye on the ball if we're going to advance," Schumacher said.
 
NOT A WHEELY GOOD TIME - For Chesterfield, N.J. native Antron Brown, racing at Englishtown always is memorable. But Saturday provided a memorable moment that he hadn't bargained for. The Matco Tools Dragtster driver improved from eighth to fifth Saturday with a pass of 3.821 seconds at 322.34 mph. However, the left front tire on his car went flat as he approached the finish line.
 
"Man, I was wondering what was going on," Brown said. "Fortunately, everything worked out and there were no problems. I'm happy we put up the kind of run we were looking for."
 
MASSEY ROLLS - Spencer Massey, hoping to build on the momentum from his Topeka victory two weekends ago, used his 3.795-second, 323.81-mph performance from Friday evening to keep his No. 2 spot behind leader Del Worsham.
 
In the first round he'll have a familiar opponent: 15th-place qualifier Bob Vandergriff, the man he beat in the final round at Topeka. Massey said that won't faze him.
 
"We will run our own race, regardless of who is in the next lane," he said. "But it is pretty cool that we're replaying the finals from Topeka."
 
Massey credited his team for the sixth top-five start in eight races this season.
 
"We continue to run well. You have to give credit to all of the guys on the FRAM/Prestone team. I really have one great race car," he said. "We've gone the last 19 rounds (going back to the first qualifying run at Atlanta Dragway) without smoking the tires. That's pretty impressive, if you ask me."
 
He isn't satisfied with that, though.
 
"Of course, we want four more A-to-B runs tomorrow to go along with four win lights. I’m looking forward to getting started," Massey said.
 
ENGINE TROUBLE - LE Tonglet must be wondering just who -- more appropriately, what -- he can trust.
 
His motor which took him through the first three races this year broke a crankshaft during Saturday's first run. Then his dad and crew chief Gary Tonglet discovered a bad cylinder in the back-up motor. And that had the Tonglet Racing Nitro Fish Suzuki team uncertain whether it would be able to compete Sunday.

"I guess old reliable isn’t reliable anymore," LE Tonglet said.  "I am glad that it didn’t happen in the finals at Atlanta."

That's where he beat Karen Stoffer.

He said he knew the engine didn't sound right in the middle of the run.

"It began vibrating halfway down the track, and then it shut itself off," he said.

Still, he will start seventh Sunday against Michael Phillips, last year's winner here.

"We are going to try to make one good motor out of the two we have," Tonglet said. "We should have something in it for Sunday ... without me pushing it."

STOFFER ADJUSTS - Points leader Karen Stoffer was missing a couple of regular crew members this weekend, but she turned in a career-best performance to qualify No. 2 for a first-round date Sunday with GT Tonglet.
 
"I'm happy of course," Stoffer said after watching Eddie Krawiec top her 6.826-second run (at 195.79 mph) by seven-thousandths of a second. "The conditions changed throughout the weekend, but they changed to our favor.
 
"Number 1 is great, but being No. 2 isn't all that bad either," she said.
 
"The goal this year has been consistency and to consistently get faster. We did that, we got progressively faster from Session 1 on," she said.
 
Stoffer added, "It has been a different weekend for us. A couple of crew members couldn't be here, so we have some substitutes. It's been different, but we've still been consistent."

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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - THE SHOWDOWN AT E-TOWN

WHERE'S THE THREE, WAITING IN INDY - The opportunity for history came and went on Friday night.

The optimism from a quick and fast Topeka race yielded to the reality the Englishtown racing surface just wouldn’t hold a three-second elapsed time for a Funny Car.

Robert Hight’s feelings weren’t hurt in the least. He’ll get after the mark the next time conditions present themselves. Which could be Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis before the moon and stars line up right or; in this case the racing surface and atmospheric conditions.

For now, Hight is plenty proud with his provisional pole position from first day qualifying at the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ.

Hight clocked a 4.090-second pass at 310.34 miles per hour on a run he described as one where tuner Jimmy Prock didn’t get as aggressive as he usually does.

“We made a decent run earlier in the day, the quickest from the right lane,” Hight explained. “Jimmy Prock said we weren’t going to get crazy. We are going to make sure we get down the track because that’s what we’ve been lacking for the last few races – just not being consistent. Sunday we got it together in Topeka and we are on our way. We are looking forward to these hot tracks.”

When Hight ran his quickest run, the track temperature had cooled to 95 degrees. The problem getting a sub four second run at Raceway Park had nothing apparently to do with track temperature but the composition of the track itself. Apparently, according to multiple tuners, the racing surface has an issue holding rubber to its surface at the mid-range.

“I guess other guys came up there shooting for the moon and we just ran what we knew we could,” Hight said. “I think everyone was just out there playing it smart. I still can’t believe that 4.09 is the best.”

If you talk with John Force Racing driver/tuner Mike Neff, there is no reason why the conditions shouldn’t have run quicker than the 4.09 which paced Friday’s qualifying.

“The track was 95 degrees,” Neff said. “It should have been better. We were even being more conservative than what we normally would. The track didn’t seem very good the first run. For the little change that we made to get that result is just uncharacteristic. It wasn’t only us. Half the field did the same thing. Not everybody is that stupid. Those are good track conditions and everybody should have been able to go ripping down that race track.

“It is very frustrating. You have good track conditions and something is not normal. I know the power is good here and we adjust for all that. We don’t have any more power here than we did at Gainesville or Houston. We correct for that. We went down it the first run. It was running good. We came back and made one little move and it looks like we did three times as much. When it smokes the tires, that shows me that there is something weird out there. It happens though. (hears TF smoke tires) See you hear that something is wrong out there. ”

While Neff laments the missed opportunity at history, Hight hopes good fortune and a better track shows up on Sunday.  

“I’ve had a lot of luck here in qualifying but never won this thing,” Hight said. “This is one [race] when you retire that you want to win. It’s as big as the Gainesvilles and the Indys. There’s so much history here.”

And for Hight, his spirit was willing to be part of the history on Friday night, but the asphalt flesh was weak.



ON THE RIGHT TRACK - Momentum can be a splendored thing, just ask Shane Gray.

Two weeks after scoring his second career Pro Stock race win Gray stands on the cusp of his first career Pro Stock No. 1 qualifier.

Gray drove to both a track record and personal best with a 6.510 second pass at 212.46 miles per hour during first day qualifying at the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ.

While on paper his performances have looked impressive, Gray is hesitant to declare the team is on roll of strength.

“We’re on a rollercoaster ride, we just happen to be at the top of the hill now,” Gray said of his Service Central-sponsored team. “We’re certainly not going to say we found ‘it’ because there are a lot of others who have ‘it’ better than us. We’re trying to get better and compete with them for sure.”

Gray made significant personnel changes in the early part of the season replacing crew chief Jim Yates with former Comp/Modified eliminator standout Ian Landies. During the off-season, Gray released Joe Hornick as the director of the team’s in-house engine program.

This many moves in a period of a year could be detrimental to many teams. But, for now, it’s working for the former Comp eliminator racer, now in his second year of NHRA Pro Stock.

“We have some momentum now but I really need to get myself back to where I am driving better,” Gray admitted. “The crew is really doing an awesome job. We’ve stepped up our engine program in our shop. And, what’s exciting to me is these engines belong to us. We don’t have any rented horsepower. They are our motors. We built them from the ground up at our place. That’s really rewarding to my father [Funny Car racer/team owner Johnny Gray] and I.”

Improving as a driver isn’t as hard of a challenge when you have a race car package working the way Gray’s Pontiac is working from chassis to engine.

“I’m going to stop worrying about everything else and concentrate on Shane doing his part,” Gray said. “I want to let as few people down as possible.”

In looking back on what could be a personally historic run, Gray understands the real challenge will be in his run lasting through Saturday’s 11 am session.

“There’s a lot of cars that could have stepped up,” explained Gray. “We looked at our run and we might have run .005 quicker in a perfect scenario. I don’t know, so can those Summit cars and the Dodges. So can Mike Edwards. Ron Krisher. We hope our run will hold up.”

GATOR, GATOR - Eddie Krawiec, the former Old Bridge Township Raceway Park dragstrip manager, had hoped to start this year's quest for a first home-track victory in the National Hot Rod Association SuperNationals with a No. 1 qualifying effort in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.
 
He came close Friday, leading the field after the first of two sessions. But in the night session, Louisiana alligator farmer Gerald Savoie robbed him of the honor, at least overnight.
 
Savoie, of Cutoff, La., recorded a track-record 6.836-second pass at 192.74 mph to trump Krawiec's 6.841-second elapsed time, but Krawiec had top speed of the day at 195.39 mph.
 
The 52-year-old rookie, who finally turned pro after dreaming about it for 30 years, said he and his Mark Peiser-led team "stumbled onto a couple of things" to adjust on his White Alligator Racing Suzuki since his last appearance on the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series tour, at Atlanta.
 
They worked, and Savoie said, 'I feel blessed to be in the position I am."
 
He met current Top Fuel and former bike racer Antron Brown at a wedding and shared his interest in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. Brown invited him to Indianapolis to see the bike equipment his own boss, Don Schumacher had for sale. That Wednesday, Savoie was there at the Schumacher shop and bought it all.
 
And Friday, he was at the top of the order for the first time with seasoned veterans Del Worsham (Top Fuel) and Robert Hight (Funny Car) and sophomore sensation Shane Gray (Pro Stock).
 
"I'm still learning," Savoie insisted. "There's always something new to learn. You never know it all."
 
Hector Arana, Karen Stoffer, and Andrew Hines rounded out the top five.

Less than a week ago, Del Worsham was impressing NASCAR Nation with a burnout in his Al-Anabi Dragster at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
 
He was impressing the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park crowd Friday night, vaulting from 11th place to first with a 3.785-second, 322.34-mph clocking  to knock first-session leader Spencer Massey from the provisional top spot by one-hundredth of a second during first day qualifying at the NHRA SuperNationals.

All Worsham said he knew Friday was that "when conditions like that come along, I'm glad I have Alan Johnson tuning my car."
 
"In Alan Johnson's words, we went from the outhouse to the henhouse in one run," the Chino Hills, Calif., racer said.
 
"Mechanically the car is sound," he said, adding that he figured with two much earlier sessions scheduled for Saturday, "it looks like that should be safe for tomorrow."
 
Worsham said he is feeling more comfortable in his dragster and his goal all along was to make the Countdown and be in a position to have a legitimate shot at the championship.
 
But, he has experienced so much more than he ever expected. He's leading the standings and putting himself in a position to earn a second top-qualifying spot of the season and maybe extending his class-best victory number to four.

OH DEAR, HAGAN STYLE - Corralling a 320-mph Funny Car on two-wheels is no problem for Matt Hagan.

Coming to a stop after the body has blown off at a high speed, piece of cake.

Chasing down a speedy fawn running through the farm, he’s been there done that.

Hagan found the nature experience to be as gratifying as a four-second run in his Diehard flopper.

“I guess it just goes to show I have a bigger heart than brains,” admitted Hagan. “You know, I’m out there mowing hay, trying to get every bit of it up and see the baby deer in the field. I caught four of them just last week. I usually just grab them and return them to the wild so they don’t accidentally get run over in the process.

“It’s always good when you can help out and give back to nature. Some farmers don’t want the deer eating their crop but for me, I just try to get out there and remove them from harm’s way.”

The most impressive aspect of Hagan’s pursuit skills is not in capturing the animal but tracking the animal and performing the capture while wearing cowboy boots.

“Well that can be misleading if I don’t include the fact I chase them into the tall grass,” Hagan said with a laugh. “But, there were some where I was in a dead out sprint trying to catch them. That didn’t work out so good.”

Hagan laughs when he likens the experience to chasing down a running back in high school as a former defensive tackle or more recently, trying to play catch up with Mike Neff.

“I plan on catching Mike Neff too,” he added.

HONORING THEIR HERO - Jerry Eckman proudly acknowledges his time in military service and on Memorial Day opened up in the media of his experiences.

Eckman is a Vietnam veteran who served a tour of duty as an advisor to the South Vietnam Army in 1964. The former Pro Stock driver who now serves as a crewman for Rodger Brogdon’s Racers Edge team, hardly received a welcome fitting for a soldier who had bravely served his country in military service.

Four days after the country celebrated Memorial Day, the Brogdon and Steve Kent teams honored their in-house veteran in a small ceremony. A surprised Eckman received his very own Vietnam Veteran hat.

“This was extremely nice of them,” Eckman said. “This was an extremely nice gesture. I’ve never had one of these hats before. I would guess they didn’t have these hats when I came back. I never had one.”

Eckman was all smiles as he worked away on a transmission proudly displaying the new gift.

“I’m probably going to sleep with it on,” Eckman confirmed. “I’m awfully proud of it. Gonna show it to anyone who will look.”

GRANDMA KNOWS BEST - If Antron Brown ever were to get big for his britches, he always has "Grandma Lossie" to keep him in line. The Chesterfield, N.J., racer's grandmother hasn't hesitated to "rat him out" for cheeky behavior, and she's on hand at Raceway Park this weekend to keep him in line -- and, of course, to cheer him on.
 
"I was a good kid,” Brown, driver of the Matco Tools Dragster, said. "But I was a trying kid. I was all over the place. I was very high-strung, very hyper."
 
That's just so hard to imagine ... OK, it isn't. The bubbly, personable driver for Don Schumacher Racing just can't help himself for having fun.
 
"My wife still battles it every day," he said, laughing, acknowledging that she actually has four children, rather than three (daughter Arianna and sons Anson and Adler).
 
"I always have fun, and I always make the most out of it ... never have a down day," Brown said.
 
Brown, who won here twice in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, has been runner-up here at Raceway Park in his past two visits but is looking to record his first Top Fuel triumph on his hometown track .
 
"First you have to get there (to the final round) We're going to work hard and take one round at a time," Brown said.  

MILLICAN HAS MANY ROLES - Clay Millican was busy Friday, qualifying his Parts Plus Dragster in seventh place in the order after two sessions. But part of his mind has been on Millville, Minn.
 
That's where the younger of his and wife Donna's two sons, 18-year-old Dalton, is racing in the AMA ATV Motocross Series. Dalton Millican leads the standings in
 
"He's my gearhead. He's part of the team. We all operate out of the MPE Motorsports shop (in Munford, Tenn.)," the Top Fuel driver from nearby Drummonds said. "The motorcross thing's a lot of work. I'm the mechanic -- they don't say 'crew chief' -- and this is the first race I've missed this year.
 
"We keep trying to get him in a dragster," Dad said. "He loves it, but he likes turning left and turning right and jumping things. And he's had way more emergency-room visits than I have."
 
(Dalton's older brother, Cale, 21, is an art student at the University of Memphis.)
 
This is one of the biggest, oldest races on the tour, and we're planning on having a great weekend. We've got a lot of people from Parts Plus coming out. We're so happy to bring in a new sponsor that's never been in drag racing before -- that's awesome to be able to do. It's also fun for me, because they're based in Memphis. They're fun people to work with, and because they're so close, I can pop in and see everybody."
 
And that association is what has Millican playing the role of autograph- seeker this weekend.
 
"One of the guys who works there named Kenny Lewis is a huge racing nut -- NASCAR, drag racing, anything that's racing. He has a race room, and it's really awesome with its collectibles and memorabilia.
 
(Team owner) Mark Pickens went by (Thursday) morning at seven o'clock and picked up a helmet that he has for autographs. It's an NHRA champions helmet only, so I didn't get to autograph it," the six-time IHRA champion said.
 
"He sent it with me; because we knew Big Daddy (Don Garlits) would be here. So I went and saw Big Daddy," he said. He also asked Kenny Bernstein to sign the helmet and planned to have Mark Oswald, Antron Brown's crew chief, add his name. He said he was also hoping to see Eastern Pennsylvania natives Joe Amato and Bruce Larson. 

FINALLY - GT Tonglet made his quickest quarter-mile pass in Friday evening's session but it was quick enough only for 11th place in the tentative starting order. After fighting mechanical problems at the past two bike-class events, the changes he made to his Tonglet Racing Nitro Fish Suzuki paid off with a 6.951-second elapsed time at 191.19 mph.
 
"That was the first time I've run six seconds," he said. That's understandable, as the last time he competed regularly was in 2006.
 
"The bike is finally showing positive signs. It's leaving the line like it should. I'm very happy," Tonglet said.
 
"We made some adjustments for the second run ... and the bike really liked them. We'll try to pick up the 60-foot time for Saturday. The bike feels good going down the track," he said.
 
NOT AS SATISFIED - Tonglet's younger brother, LE Tonglet, is shooting for his second straight victory. So his seventh-place effort aboard his Tonglet Racing Nitro Fish Suzuki GSXR was a bit underwhelming for him Friday.
 
He ran a 6.893-second, 190.83-mph pass in the second session, an improvement from his earlier 6.956, 189.44.
 
Still, he said, "We picked up the pace on the second run, but it wasn't as much as we wanted. We'll talk things over and figure out what we're going to do for Saturday's runs."

YATES WITH KRISHER - Jim Yates’ wait to find a team to work with was minimal.

Yates, who was released from Shane Gray’s operation following the Houston event in May, has joined Ron Krisher’s Valvoline-sponsored team in an advisory role.

The two-time Pro Stock champion from Occoquan, Va., couldn’t be happier with his situation in joining Krisher.

“This is like Heaven; these guys have everything it takes to win,” said Yates. “This is exciting and getting to be part of this is the key. You do this a long time and you have many opportunities to do this great. This is a great program over here.”

Krisher has been a consistent Countdown qualifier since joining Mike Edwards’ engine program. Yates believes the personnel and parts are in place for a strong run towards the 2011 championship and beyond.

“Ron and Mike [Edwards] have put together a great team with great people,” said Yates. “They are consistent. All you have to do is hang around with them to see what they have going on.”

At this point, Yates biggest asset is the experience he brings to the team.

“I’m the guy who looks at the computer … observes, consultant … T-Lee [Tommy Lee] is the crew chief,” Yates explained. “I’m just another set of eyes.”

Yates believes his new role adds the Krisher team to a growing number of operations sporting multiple crew chiefs in the same fashion as the nitro ranks.

“I think when you look at the top teams, they aren’t replacing people, they are adding,” explained Yates. “When you look at what Greg [Anderson] did, he added Tommy Utt. There was a big improvement there. Not that they didn’t already have good people, they did. They just added Jeff Pearly. It just increases the knowledge pool. Hopefully me coming over here will help some.”

And, as far as Yates is concerned, a team can never have enough good input.

“When everything is running smooth, you can have one guy running the whole thing. There are teams out here with multiple good people that can help make the decisions. I think that’s Ron’s vision. But the thing is, when you go to the starting line, there’s only one guy in the car, it’s all on him, but when you’re in the pits, you can have as many as good minds as you want.”

HALL OF FAME TO HONOR KALITTAS - Doug Kalitta, driver of the Kalitta Air Dragster and 1994 USAC National Sprint Car champion, learned this week that he will be inducted later this year into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America -- along with posthumous selection Scott Kalitta, his cousin and two-time Top Fuel champion.
 
Connie Kalitta, Doug's uncle and Scott's father, is a member of the Hall's Class of 1992.
 
Doug Kalitta declined to "toot his own horn" Friday, preferring instead to compliment his crew for the strides it has been making as he seeks his first victory this season.
 
"I think my car's pretty happy with the progress we're making. We'll see what happens this weekend. We're looking forward to coming out here and doing good," he said.
 
"My car's qualifying better and we're going rounds. I'm real confident how the year's progressing with my team. So maybe we'll get something going this weekend. We're hoping to get a win here this weekend," Kalitta said. "Conditions will be good. There should be no excuse why we can't."
 
Kalitta ended the first day of qualifying with an 11th-place showing.
 
Last year he didn't score a victory until the July Denver race, and it was his lone victory en route to a sixth-place finish.
 
"It's a pretty competitive class this year, as it was last year. We'll be all right," he said.
 
He has extra incentive. This is the race in 2008 at which his cousin lost his life in a Funny Car qualifying crash. Doug Kalitta said he and his family and team think of Scott Kalitta every day, so a return to Raceway Park makes that practice "not much different. Just more incentive to win here. We're more determined," he said.
 
"It'd be awesome to win here," Doug Kalitta said. "Scott would be proud of us if we could get a win in this joint."
 
ZIZZO, NHRA AMBASSADOR - NASCAR venue Chicagoland Speedway is next-door neighbor in Joliet, Ill., to Route 66 Raceway, home of  NHRA drag racing. Top Fuel driver and Lincolnshire, Ill., resident T.J. Zizzo, who opted not to compete in his PEAK Motor Oil/Herculiner Dragster in New Jersey this weekend, won't be sitting idly at home.
He and his car will use a spot on the Chicagoland Speedway midway at this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race to promote the July 7-10 O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 Nationals. Zizzo said he's excited to introduce the sensory-overload nitro experience to NASCAR fans who might never have experienced the power of an 8,000-horsepower race car. He'll fire up his dragster tomorrow afternoon.
 
"Cannot wait!" the exuberant Zizzo said. "It's going to be cool to meet NASCAR fans and bring them into our world and tell them what NHRA drag racing is all about and, hopefully, create some new fans who will come out to Route 66 Raceway in July and cheer for us."
 
He's going to be a student as well as a teacher, he said.
 
"It's also going to be neat to be a part of their world and see what 43 stock cars racing around a mile-and-a-half oval looks like. Our entire PEAK Motor Oil/Herculiner team will be there, and we can't wait to be a part of this great experience. We can't thank the great folks at Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway enough for giving us this amazing opportunity."
 
Scott Paddock, Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway president, said, "We're excited to give our NASCAR audience a taste of the NHRA drag racing experience this weekend in Champions Park,” said “T.J. is an incredible ambassador for the drag racing community, and we're thrilled to have him out here this weekend to engage with fans and fire up a dragster for all to see. The Zizzo team will deliver an exciting taste of what's to come at Route 66 Raceway this July."
 
Gates open at the track Saturday at noon. The green flag for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race is scheduled to wave at 7 (Central Time).

BIG TIME - Alexis DeJoria knows once she makes her nitro racing debut the big stage spotlight will be firmly on her.

However, the Top Alcohol Funny Car driver and heir to billion dollar hair care company Paul Mitchell Systems, was taken aback by a request from media giant CNN for an interview about her racing.

On Thursday, with cameras, lights and video equipment focused on DeJoria and CNN reporter Alina Cho, she answered questions about her love for drag racing.

“It was a big surprise to me,” DeJoria admitted. “The story started out on my dad, and will be a two-part series. They will talk about him in one part, and me in the other. It’s an honor.”

The CNN crew plans to film DeJoria during qualifying, both on and off of the track. Doing the interviews, she admits, makes her more nervous than a 250-mph plus pass in her Patron-sponsored Funny Car.

“When you’re in the car, you’re comfortable – it’s your day to day,” DeJoria explained. “This is a whole different thing. But when you look at it as I’m talking about something I love to do, not making it up or acting; it’s the real deal. They ask the right questions. When they ask about the heiress side, my dad and the lifestyle, that makes me a little uncomfortable. I prefer to stick to the racing part of it, but I understand the [heiress] part is part of it.”

The CNN crew at Englishtown confirmed the network plans  to air the show twice next week, both domestically and internationally. A web version will appear on the CNN.com website, as well.

 

 

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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - BIG THINGS ALREADY UNDERWAY

FORCE EXTENDED - Mike Munro, General Manager, North America, for BP Lubricants Americas, the U.S. distributor of premium Castrol motor oils including Castrol GTX, Castrol GTX HIGH MILEAGE and Castrol EDGE, has formally confirmed an agreement extending Castrol’s major sponsorship position with John Force Racing, Inc.
 
The announcement, which came at a press conference preceding the 42nd annual NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in nearby Englishtown, N.J., was not unexpected.  At the same function, Munro accepted, on Castrol’s behalf, a replica of the trophy commemorating Force’s 2010 Funny Car championship, his 15th.
 
“Our relationship with John Force and his team has been a key element in establishing Castrol as a brand of choice among American race fans,” Munro said, “and we are excited about continuing our association with drag racing’s biggest winner.”
 
The sponsor relationship between Castrol and JFR, which began in 1986, is the longest active partnership in sports and one of the longest in history.  JFR has won 17 of the last 21 NHRA Championships and, with Castrol’s support, has claimed a record 200 NHRA tour victories in the Funny Car division.
 
“We’ve grown up together,” Force said of his relationship with Castrol.  “This is 26 years and now I really want to break the record Kenny Bernstein had with Budweiser (30 consecutive years of sponsorship).  That’s what I’m shooting for.”
 
“We’re pleased to be able to move forward with one of the most successful collaborations in auto racing history,” said Carolyn Eckert, Promotions, Creative and Sponsorship Manager for Castrol.  “We look forward to sharing many more winners’ circles with John and his team as we continue to work together to provide consumers the quality Castrol products they deserve and expect.”

MILESTONES - John Force Racing crossed one record off its 2011 to-do list in Kansas, becoming the first NHRA race team to join the 200 victory club. Now, the team has its

sights set on conquering another longstanding record, and will try to push team owner John Force to the top of the all-time NHRA No. 1 qualifying positions order when the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series visits historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, June 2-5 for the 42nd annual NHRA SuperNationals.
 
Force could pass NHRA Pro Stock icon Warren Johnson at the top of the all-time list by qualifying first in the 16-car Funny Car lineup at the event where Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Michael Phillips (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending event winners. Force and Johnson are currently tied at the top with 138 No. 1 qualifiers apiece.
 
To accomplish that goal, the 15-time world champion who has earned 132 victories during his legendary career, including four at the New Jersey track, will likely surpass a category performance milestone in the process, as many drivers and crew chiefs feel conditions at ultra-fast Raceway Park may be perfect for someone to record the first three-second Funny Car run.   
 
The national record for Funny Car is currently set at 4.011 seconds and held by Matt Hagan, who posted the time last October at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa. Force teammate Robert Hight, who won two weeks ago in Topeka, holds the Englishtown track record at 4.025 seconds in his Auto Club Ford Mustang.
 
Should cool conditions persist in the Friday evening qualifying session, the sea-level track just might become the site of a little bit of history.
 
“Records are motivation for me,” Force said. “But I don’t like to talk about them until they’re done. You let records get in your head and you lose your focus; you forget that your job is to win the race and right now I need to focus.”
 
Even more than a record, Force says he is in hot pursuit of his first win of the season. He needs a win to improve on his seventh place points position as teams jockey for playoff position during the second half of the regular season.
 
“I’ve got a good race car,” Force said, “but I can’t seem to get a win. Dean Antonelli and Ron Douglas (co-crew chiefs) have given me a hot rod that has been No. 1 (qualifier) four races-in-a-row but, on race day, I’m just struggling.”
 
Another Force team driver, Mike Neff, leads the series standings with one win in four final rounds. Neff, who pulls double-duty as both driver and crew chief, has had his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang running very consistently all season. The other driver in the Force Racing trio, Hight, has won three races, while former drag racing instructor Jack Beckman has won two in his Aaron’s/Valvoline Dodge Charger. Two-time world champ Cruz Pedregon is fourth in points and his Snap-on Tools Toyota team seems to be building momentum at the right time.
 
“This is the busy part of the season where you’ve got to make your move to secure your spot in the Countdown and we’re starting to see the top 10 take shape,” Pedregon said.

 

BETTER EQUIPPED - Terry Haddock has learned the hard way that being prepared for National Hot Rod Association pro competition trumps running on a shoestring but showing lots of passion.

FAMILY TRADITION - Copart Dragster driver Brandon Bernstein can take heart -- he's only one of the elite Top Fuel drivers not to score a victory yet this season.
 
He has excellent company in reigning and three-time champion Larry Dixon, seven-time champion Tony Schumacher, 32-time event winner Doug Kalitta, and six-time IHRA champion Clay Millican.
 
"That is true. But we're just so close. I keep saying that week in and week out. Be we really are close to being a team that can win on Sunday," Bernstein said. "It's time for the winds of change to blow through our Copart pits.
 
"We've proven we can run great on the qualifying days. Sundays we've been kind of snake-bitten. It's just little things here and there. You can't put one finger on it. But hopefully it's going to turn soon. It's got to," he said.
 
"When it comes back I'm going to be so excited I don't know how I'm going to react," Bernstein said. "Us just getting a round-win is going to seem like a small victory. I'm looking forward to just getting past first round, to be honest."
 
When he does, he'll hit the 250 round-win plateau. He ran the count to 249 with his final-round appearance at Las Vegas, but aside from that race in April, Bernstein hasn't advanced to the quarterfinals all season long (losing to a different driver each side-by-side match-up so far). He's an uncharacteristic 3-7 in eliminations, something out of synch in a career that shows him 249-157 in 177 races.
 
Crew chief Todd Smith and assistant Donnie Bender hope, too, that they'll find the winning combination at this weekend's NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
 
Although fans probably most remember Brandon Bernstein's season-ending accident at that track in 2003, Raceway Park actually has some outstanding memories for him and for his father, team owner Kenny Bernstein, who won more there than at any other racetrack.
 
Brandon Bernstein was runner-up there to Tony Schumacher in 2008 and qualified No. 1 there in 2004 and 2006. He's still seeking his first victory at Englishtown, where his dad has won more times than any other NHRA pro racer.
 
Kenny Bernstein won at Raceway Park three times in the Top Fuel class, including during his 2002 "Forever Red" farewell tour as his final-round record there remained perfect. In the mid-to-late 1980s, he was dominant in the Funny Car class, winning in 1985-87 and 1989.
 
"Dad's had a lot of history there, too," Brandon Bernstein said. "We owe this track one. It would be nice if some of Dad’s success would start to rub off."
 
While the 2003 accident was devastating at the time, it hasn't scarred Bernstein's psyche or make him shudder as the tour prepares to swing through there for the 42nd time.
 
"It really doesn't bother me, to tell you the truth. Everytime we go there, there's always at least one or two or maybe three people who come up and have a picture of the car, of the crash, and want me to sign it. It's always something like that. You look at that and go, 'Wow. It looks like it hurt.' "
 
"I don't dread going there at all. It's part of our history. We had the crash and it’s over. But I don't dread going to that track at all," he said. "The track is a great track, great facility. It's nice to get back there."
 
It would be a relief to get back to the winners circle, too.
 
"You definitely go through peaks and valleys, and we're in a valley right now. Early in the career, we came out of the gate and won a lot and went to the finals a lot, and when we went to the finals we won. And the last few years have been in a big drought and when we got the finals we lose," Bernstein said.
 
He's 0-for-4 since winning Oct. 11, 2009, at Richmond, Va., and that victory was his first that year in four final-round appearances. Since Aug. 12, 2007 (with a victory at Brainerd, Minn.), he has won just that Richmond race in a dozen finals. (In 2007, his record was considerably healthier with five triumphs in seven final rounds.)
 
"You just have to roll with it, stay positive, and know that eventually we're going to get back to those peaks," Bernstein said, remarking that "sometimes it doesn't" feel like he's blessed but he "definitely" knows he is.
 
However, he said, "I feel like our Copart team is due for some success. What better place to turn it around than Englishtown?"
 
A victory here would do more than keep the Bernstein-Englishtown connection alive. It would make a welcome early Fathers Day present for his boss.

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