2016 NHRA CARQUEST NATIONALS - PHOENIX RESULTS
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SUNDAY - PRITCHETT RACES TO FIRST TOP FUEL VICTORY AT PHOENIX; WILKERSON AND LINE ALSO SCORE WINS
Leah Pritchett raced to her first Top Fuel victory Sunday at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.
Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) also picked up victories at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix.
Pritchett used a quicker reaction time and a performance of 3.775 seconds at 323.12 mph in her Quaker State dragster to finish in front of Brittany Force’s 3.774 at 321.35 in her Monster Energy dragster. It was the first all-female Top Fuel final since Shirley Muldowney defeated Lucille Lee in 1982 in Columbus, Ohio. It is only the fourth time two women have decided a pro class victory in the Mello Yello Series. Angelle Sampey and Karen Stoffer have met twice in finals in Pro Stock Motorcycle, most recently at Norwalk last season.
Pritchett outran J.R. Todd, Clay Millican and Antron Brown in the first three rounds before defeating Force in the final. She is the 16th woman to win a Mello Yello Series race and the eighth female to win in the Top Fuel category.
“It is the happiest day of my life, besides getting married of course,” said Pritchett, who posted a runner-up finish in her only other Top Fuel final, last season at Atlanta. “This is what dreams are made of.
“I feel like I just won the Super Bowl, even though it’s only the second race and it’s not the U.S. Nationals, for me it’s an incredible personal and professional victory to be able to compete with the team that I’m with.”
Pritchett moved to fifth in the points standings with the win. Event top qualifier Doug Kalitta, who lost a close race to Force in the semis, is the points leader, eight ahead of Winternationals winner Steve Torrence, who was upset in the opening round.
In Funny Car, Wilkerson earned his 19th career victory and first at Phoenix, taking out longtime rival John Force with a run of 3.937 at 320.43 in his Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang. Force trailed with a 4.016 at 275.34 in his Peak Chevy Camaro.
Wilkerson made it past Robert Hight in semis and also knocked off Chad Head in the opening round and took out series points leader and event top qualifier Ron Capps in the second round.
“I am just happy to be here,” said Wilkerson, who moves to fifth in the points order with the win. “We’re very excited about what happened here today. That’s the best run we had all weekend [in the final].”
Line beat Chris McGaha for the Pro Stock victory with a 6.666 at 205.16 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro, while McGaha’s Camaro posted a 6.671 at 208.75 in the runner-up effort. It was Line’s second consecutive final round appearance of the season and the two-time world champ takes over the series points lead.
Line defeated Matt Hartford and Jeg Coughlin in the first two rounds and then was able to gain back team bragging rights by outrunning teammate Greg Anderson in the semis. Line lost to Anderson in the Pomona final two weeks ago.
“It was a fun day, a great way to start the year,” said Line of his second Phoenix victory in four final round appearances at this event. “We are off to a much better start this year.”
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continues March 17-20 with the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway.
SATURDAY - CAPPS, KALITTA AND BUTNER EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT PHOENIX
Series points leader Ron Capps took the No. 1 qualifying position in Funny Car on Saturday at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.
Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Bo Butner (Pro Stock) also will lead their categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations as the No. 1 qualifiers at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at Wild Horse Pass Motor Sports Park.
Still riding the momentum from a victory at the NHRA Winternationals two weeks ago in Pomona, Calif., Capps set a track record with a 3.925 second pass at 320.50 mph in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger, just .005 of a second better than Courtney Force’s 3.930 run on Friday. It is the 18th No. 1 of his career and third at this event.
“I’m having more fun than I think I have, if not ever, than in a long time,” Capps said. “I’m in better shape. I feel like I’m more enthused about showing up to the race track everyday than I think I ever have been. I’m just enjoying this. This is a lot of fun right now.”
Capps will try to continue his early season success when he faces No. 16 qualifier Jeff Diehl in the opening elimination round on Sunday. Capps is a three-time Phoenix winner, his last victory here coming in 2013.
“We’re not so naïve to think this can keep up,” said Capps, who will race Jeff Diehl in round one. ”There’s too good of competition out here. We’ll just take it, we’ll take the wins and this is a great No. 1 qualifier and this sets us up great for Sunday.”
Defending world champ Del Worsham qualified fifth and will meet Jim Campbell in the opener, while No. 2 qualifier Force will race Terry Haddock. Two other intriguing first round pairings feature past world champions Robert Hight and Cruz Pedregon meeting in a heated duel while Don Schumacher Racing teammates Tommy Johnson Jr. and Matt Hagan will face off in their quick Dodge Chargers.
In Top Fuel, Kalitta powered his Mac Tools dragster to a 3.741 at 320.74 in the final round of qualifying to earn his 44th No. 1 and his fourth at the Phoenix track, holding off rival Antron Brown, whose improved time of 3.760 at 322.65 in his Matco Tools dragster wasn’t enough as he sits in the second spot.
“We’re pretty excited to be here,” Kalitta said, “It’s always great running out in the desert and it seems to take to [crew chief] Jim [Oberhofer]’s tune up here. He’s doing a heck of a job, he and Troy [Fasching, assistant crew chief] and all the guys on the Mac Tools Redline Toyota car.
“We’re all excited and just happy things are going down the track and it’s driving good. So far so good.”
Series points leader Brown will open eliminations against Steve Chrisman and five-time Phoenix winner Tony Schumacher qualified third and will face Scott Palmer in round one.
Butner claimed his first career No. 1 qualifying position in Pro Stock with his pass of 6.618 at 208.88 in his Jim Butner Auto Sales Chevy Camaro from Friday. Butner teammates Jason Line and Greg Anderson qualified second and third in their Summit Racing Camaros with a 6.622 at 208.17 and a 6.623 at 207.40, respectively.
“To be honest I’m kind of surprised I’m sitting in this seat because our boss Greg [Anderson] really threw it at us and made a good run,” Butner said. “It’s an honor and it’s cool; it’s cool to have a green hat [for qualifying No. 1].”
In the 14-car ladder, Butner will face V. Gaines, who qualified 14th with a 6.778 at 207.27 in his Kendall Oil Dodge Dart.
“I’d like to get past V. and I’d like to get to the final and win,” Butner said. “That’s our goal and that’s why we leave the house.”
Points leader Anderson moved to third in the qualifying order with Saturday’s quickest run, the 6.623-second effort in the heat of the day. He will meet Vincent Nobile in the first round. Meanwhile, Line will race Phoenix-based driver Matt Hartford in the opener.
Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 32nd annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, the second of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.741 seconds, 326.00 mph vs. Bye; 2. Antron Brown, 3.760, 322.65 vs. 15. Steven Chrisman, 5.156, 144.35; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.764, 322.19 vs. 14. Scott Palmer, 3.990, 276.07; 4. Steve Torrence, 3.766, 322.96 vs. 13. Terry McMillen, 3.935, 286.07; 5. Brittany Force, 3.769, 321.04 vs. 12. Shawn Langdon, 3.922, 317.12; 6. Clay Millican, 3.773, 322.96 vs. 11. Troy Buff, 3.869, 306.19; 7. J.R. Todd, 3.787, 323.12 vs. 10. Leah Pritchett, 3.859, 314.31; 8. Dave Connolly, 3.794, 317.64 vs. 9. Richie Crampton, 3.812, 309.98.
Funny Car -- 1. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 3.925, 320.89 vs. 16. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Solara, 9.905, 41.37; 2. Courtney Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.930, 323.97 vs. 15. Terry Haddock, Solara, 4.191, 297.42; 3. John Force, Camaro, 3.938, 323.81 vs. 14. John Hale, Charger, 4.105, 313.22; 4. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.945, 319.14 vs. 13. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Camry, 4.086, 302.08; 5. Del Worsham, Camry, 3.959, 319.60 vs. 12. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.067, 305.56; 6. Jack Beckman, Charger, 3.959, 319.22 vs. 11. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 4.026, 310.27; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.965, 318.77 vs. 10. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.990, 321.58; 8. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.966, 317.19 vs. 9. Chad Head, Camry, 3.976, 317.64.
Pro Stock -- 1. Bo Butner, Chevy Camaro, 6.618, 208.88 vs. 14. V. Gaines, Dodge Dart, 6.778, 207.27; 2. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.622, 208.17 vs. 13. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.732, 206.48; 3. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.623, 207.72 vs. 12. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.715, 207.59; 4. Allen Johnson, Dart, 6.649, 207.11 vs. 11. Deric Kramer, Dart, 6.713, 206.95; 5. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.650, 208.62 vs. 10. Joey Grose, Camaro, 6.699, 207.02; 6. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.650, 207.94 vs. 9. Erica Enders, Dart, 6.689, 208.26; 7. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.656, 208.46 vs. 8. Jeg Coughlin, Dart, 6.664, 207.53.
FRIDAY - C. FORCE, BROWN, BUTNER ARE QUALIFYING LEADERS AT PHOENIX
Courtney Force raced to the qualifying lead in Funny Car Friday with a track record performance at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.
Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Bo Butner (Pro Stock) also were top qualifiers at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix.
Force, who is looking to redeem last season’s finish with a strong early season start, led the Funny Car field with a track record time of 3.930 seconds at 323.97 mph in her Traxxas Chevrolet Camaro.
“It’s definitely what we hoped for,” said Force who carried over her momentum from pre-season testing at Wild Horse just a few weeks ago. “Once we got the car figured out we were running pretty consistent in the threes so I was excited to come back to this track. We felt comfortable here and we made good runs.
“I just love getting (the car) down to the other end of the race track and it definitely feels good from a driver’s standpoint. I definitely think it’s getting my team motivated so we’ll see what we can do with it.”
Defending world champion Brown led Top Fuel qualifying with a 3.765 at 319.45 in his Matco Tools dragster to knock off rival Doug Kalitta’s 3.771 at 323.12 in his Mac Tools dragster.
After not qualifying where they hoped at the Winternatioanls, Brown and his team looked to get back to their championship standards this weekend.
“It felt pretty good to sneak out with that second round run,” said Brown, whose machine lost traction on his first qualifying attempt. “We thought that someone would run better than our (3.76) because we were the first pair down the race track.”
“You can’t sleep on any of these cars out here because they’ll take your lunch,” said Brown acknowledging Kalitta and Tony Schumacher’s presence close behind, “We’ve just got to keep putting that work in.”
Butner was quickest in Pro Stock, clocking a 6.618 at 208.88 in his Jim Butner Auto Sales Camaro that held up through two rounds, holding off Greg Anderson by 0.06 seconds. He was also the top qualifier after Friday at the Winternationals in Pomona.
“Just like last race, I don’t think we’ll hold up [Saturday],” Butner said. “I’ve got a couple guys with me that are pretty mean and they know what they’re doing, it’s our whole team. We just want to be one two and three and however we end up is great.”
Since the season opener Butner and his team have taken the time to really work on the car and he hopes to secure his first career No. 1 qualifying position in only his 19th Pro Stock start.
“The guys worked on some motor stuff and it shows,” Butner said. “I think there's a whole lot left for us and there’s a whole lot left in the whole class. We‘re going to keep chipping away at it and try to widen the gap.”
Qualifying continues Saturday at 1:30 and 4 p.m. for Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations.
Friday's results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 32nd annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, second of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Antron Brown, 3.765 seconds, 319.45 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.771, 323.12; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.772, 322.19; 4. Dave Connolly, 3.794, 309.34; 5. Brittany Force, 3.800, 320.05; 6. J.R. Todd, 3.806, 323.12; 7. Steve Torrence, 3.812, 322.50; 8. Leah Pritchett, 3.859, 314.31; 9. Richie Crampton, 3.865, 302.14; 10. Troy Buff, 3.869, 281.19; 11. Terry McMillen, 3.935, 286.07; 12. Clay Millican, 4.091, 227.69.
Not Qualified: 13. Scott Palmer, 4.269, 213.87; 14. Shawn Langdon, 6.057, 113.26.
Funny Car -- 1. Courtney Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.930, 323.97; 2. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 3.954, 320.89; 3. Jack Beckman, Charger, 3.959, 319.22; 4. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.965, 318.77; 5. John Force, Camaro, 3.973, 321.12; 6. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.973, 319.14; 7. Chad Head, Toyota Camry, 3.976, 314.31; 8. Del Worsham, Camry, 3.980, 316.52; 9. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.995, 315.64; 10. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.030, 318.17; 11. James Campbell, Charger, 4.067, 289.20; 12.
Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 4.086, 302.08.
Not Qualified: 13. John Hale, 4.183, 303.09; 14. Alexis DeJoria, 4.651, 177.58.
Pro Stock -- 1. Bo Butner, Chevy Camaro, 6.618, 208.88; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.624, 207.72; 3. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.649, 207.85; 4. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.650, 207.94; 5. Jeg Coughlin, Dodge Dart, 6.664, 207.50; 6. Allen Johnson, Dart, 6.674, 206.83; 7. Erica Enders, Dart, 6.689, 208.26; 8. Joey Grose, Camaro, 6.715, 206.51; 9. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.722, 207.59; 10. Deric Kramer, Dart, 6.772, 206.95; 11. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.829, 208.17; 12. V. Gaines, Dart, 7.237, 204.91.
Not Qualified: 13. Matt Hartford, 7.638, 164.33.
FRIDAY SPORTSMAN
SUPER STOCK (FINAL ORDER)
1 3903 FSS/E Ray Skillman, Greenwood IN, '10 Mustang 8.933 10.05 -1.117
2 9 SS/CM Phil Unruh, McPherson KS, '10 Cobalt 8.412 9.50 -1.088
3 601 SS/BS Cody Lane, North Bend WA, '05 Cavalier 8.685 9.65 -0.965
4 554 GT/LA Ron Roddel, Sioux Falls SD, '02 Grand Am 10.633 11.55 -0.917
5 5517 GT/CA Justin Jenkins, Beatrice NE, '10 Cobalt 9.489 10.40 -0.911
6 7117 GT/JA Jim Rau, Sacramento CA, '95 Mustang 10.391 11.30 -0.909
7 1519 SS/HA Jerry Hatch, Lubec ME, '70 Challenger 9.703 10.60 -0.897
8 7056 GT/AA Frank Grossi, Upland CA, '05 Sunfire 9.214 10.10 -0.886
9 6846 GT/BA Byron Setters, Mesa AZ, '12 Cobalt 9.365 10.25 -0.885
10 6820 GT/CA Caitlin Setters, Red Deer AB, '09 G5 9.519 10.40 -0.881
STOCK (FINAL ORDER)
1 7702 U/SA BJ Graham, Tempe AZ, '75 Mavrick 13.388 14.85 -1.462
2 719 DF/S Alex Kadar, Proria AZ, '03 Monte Carlo 14.379 15.60 -1.221
3 79 C/SA Leo Glasbrenner, Chino CA, '68 Firebird 10.259 11.40 -1.141
4 652 G/S Bob Gullett, Calgary AB, '68 Chevy II 10.904 11.90 -0.996
5 7402 A/SA Tibor Kadar, Phoenix AZ, '64 Fairlane 10.037 11.00 -0.963
6 1426 D/SA Jerry Hatch, Lubec ME, '71 Duster 10.588 11.55 -0.962
7 5101 K/SA David McGaugh, Cresbard SD, '82 Camaro 11.704 12.65 -0.946
8 4406 G/SA Jim Hale, Van Buren AR, '64 Fury 11.070 12.00 -0.930
9 339L C/SA Randi Lyn Shipp, Floyds Knobs IN, '67 Fir 10.486 11.40 -0.914
10 7307 A/SA Jeff Jerome, Los Angeles CA, '63 Savoy 10.101 11.00 -0.899
TOP DRAGSTER (AFTER TWO SESSIONS)
1 4 Jesse Adams, Yuba City CA, Davis-BAE 6.001 230.61 230.61
2 756 Bob Buttons, Winters CA, Spitzer-BAE 6.044 224.43 230.13
3 7848 Jon Bradford, Tucson AZ, Spitzer-BAE 6.058 230.37 230.37
4 7208 Denny Hills, Gilbert AZ, Yancer-Chevy 6.098 225.37 225.37
5 54 Phil Unruh, McPherson KS, Spitzer-Chevy 6.356 217.49 217.56
6 7796 John Richardson, Santa Clarita CA, Sarmento-Ch 6.417 209.85 214.21
7 703Y Shaunda Ruckman, Scottsdale AZ, American-AJPE 6.427 216.86 216.86
8 359X Zach Sackman, Channahon IL, Spitzer-Chevy 6.486 226.54 226.54
9 5002 Kent Kroeker, Grant NE, Spitzer-Chevy 6.498 203.86 210.64
10 7029 Bobby Ray McMahan, Lodi CA, TNT-Chevy 6.553 207.59 208.42
TOP SPORTSMAN
1 345B Benjamin Board, Overland Park KS, '12 Camaro 6.511 213.47 213.47
2 7980 Joe Roubicek, Westlake Village CA, '68 Camaro 6.572 209.88 209.88
3 6636 Spenser Martin, Anchorage AK, '63 Corvette 6.823 201.07 201.07
4 7598 Chris Newman, Lancaster CA, '08 Cobalt 6.856 203.03 203.03
5 D712 Phil Dion, Paradise Valley AZ, '12 Avenger 6.921 202.39 202.39
6 7450 Don Meziere, Escondido CA, '09 Cobalt 6.952 200.14 200.14
7 5116 Dave Slatten, Ft. Collins CO, '05 Grand Am 6.976 198.70 198.70
8 757 Jeff Gillette, Benicia CA, '06 GTO 6.995 199.11 199.11
9 2 Ed Olpin, Pleasant Grove UT, '68 Camaro 7.056 197.13 197.13
10 7262 Wayne Newman, Lancaster CA, '94 Lumina 7.145 194.94 194.94
