NHRA SUMMERNATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SUNDAY FINAL - WILL BECOMES 11TH WOMAN TO WIN A NATIONAL EVENT; FORCE, KRISHER ALSO WINNERS AT HEARTLAND PARK TOPEKA
Hillary Will became the 11th woman in NHRA history to win a national event when she raced to the win in the Top Fuel category at the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals.
John Force and Ron Krisher also won in their respective categories at Heartland Park Topeka in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event.
Will drove her KB dragster to a 4.744-second run at 304.53 mph, which was just enough to get past No. 1 qualifier Larry Dixon and pick up her first win.
“There are so many emotions because there were times when I thought I can’t do this, maybe I shouldn’t be racing, maybe I don’t belong in Top Fuel,” said Will. “But it’s what I love to do and through everything you just can never, never, never give up.”
Defending POWERade Series world champion Tony Schumacher strengthened his points lead with a first round win over Alan Bradshaw. The five-time world champion has a 109-point cushion over second place Antron Brown.
In Funny Car, 14-time POWERade Series world champion Force picked up his first win of the season, driving his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang to a 4.996 at 299.66 past runner-up Tim Wilkerson. It was Force’s 126th career win and 9th at Heartland Park Topeka. It was also Force's first since his wreck in Dallas last year that sidelined the Funny Car legend for nearly five months.
“I didn’t want to go winless, not after that wreck and I didn’t want to get mental where I thought I had to quit,” said Force. “If you can’t do the job, then you’ve got to get out, and I didn’t want to get mental. I just told Wilkerson, ‘thank you, I needed this more than you needed the points or the money, I needed this mentally.’ Winning is what it’s all about.”
Wilkerson kept his points lead with his runner up finish and built a 81-point cushion over second-place Ashley Force after Ashley lost in the first round to her father John.
In Pro Stock, Ron Krisher drove his Valvoline Chevy Cobalt past Larry Morgan for his first win of the season. Krisher’s run of 6.758 at 204.70 was enough to put him in winner’s circle and give him his first win in over five years.
“I got my driving back, or more confidence in my driving and that’s what I needed,” said Krisher. “I lost confidence in my driving but we’ve got it back. We drove good today, nobody beat us up out there. We took every round.”
Kurt Johnson’s second-round win was strong enough to push him to the top of the Pro Stock point standings and give him a 20-point lead over second-place and defending world champion Jeg Coughlin.
The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues with the 11th annual Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Route 66 Nationals, June 5-8 at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.
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Sunday's final results from the 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer
Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park Topeka. The race
is the ninth of 24 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
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SATURDAY QUALIYFING - DIXON, BARTONE, AND CONNOLLY KEEP TOP QUALIFYING SPOTS IN TOPEKA
Despite the heat and humidity at Heartland Park Topeka the three drivers’ Friday night qualifying runs were enough for them to maintain the No. 1 qualifying positions in their respective categories.
Dixon’s run Friday night of 4.527 seconds at 325.30 mph in his U.S. Smokeless Tobacco dragster was strong enough to keep the top spot in Top Fuel. It’s Dixon’s first No. 1 qualifier of the season, 28th of his career, and third at Heartland Park Topeka.
“You still have to go out there and stand on the gas,” said Dixon, who will run unopposed in his first round due to a shortened 15-car field in Top Fuel. “You’re racing for lane choice. Your racing for what pair you’re going to be second round. There are a lot of things that come in to play.”
Five-time world champion Tony Schumacher qualified seventh for the race while defending event winner Brandon Bernstein took the eighth spot in the field.
Bartone kept his Canidae Pet Food Chevy Monte Carlo in the top spot in Funny Car, thanks to his Friday night run of 4.881 at 301.81. It’s Bartone’s second career No. 1 qualifier.
“You have to take advantage of the atmospheric conditions and the track conditions and we felt that, given what we had before us, we couldn’t run better than a 4.88 and we had our fingers crossed that no one else could as well,” said Bartone, who, along with team owner Jim Dunn, decided to sit out both rounds of Saturday qualifying. “I had my fingers crossed, toes crossed, knees, everything crossed and it held up so we’re glad we put this performance up for all our sponsors.”
Funny Car points leader Tim Wilkerson sits 14th after two rounds of qualifying, while defending world champion Tony Pedregon is in the 15th spot.
In Pro Stock Connolly’s run in his Charter Communications Chevy Cobalt of 6.720 at 204.51 from Friday was enough to keep him in the top spot. It’s Connolly’s first No. 1 qualifier of the season and sixth of his career.
“Topeka has definitely always been a good track for us,” said Connolly, who has had three consecutive final round appearances at Heartland Park. “We know we’ve got a good car. It’s been the best that it’s been since we’ve had it out. We just keep plugging away at it and it keeps responding to the changes we throw at it.”
Points leader and defending event winner Greg Anderson qualified in the 14th spot, while defending world champion Jeg Coughlin sits 13th in the field.
Sunday’s eliminations begin at 11 a.m. and will be televised on ESPN2 HD.
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First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park Topeka, the ninth of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 4.527 seconds, 325.30 mph vs. Bye; 2. Cory McClenathan, 4.565, 323.04 vs. 15. Bob Vandergriff, 4.875, 291.01; 3. Rod Fuller, 4.565, 320.13 vs. 14. Morgan Lucas, 4.728, 306.12; 4. Antron Brown, 4.584, 312.06 vs. 13. David Grubnic, 4.690, 303.78; 5. Doug Kalitta, 4.590, 324.83 vs. 12. Joe Hartley, 4.653, 321.81; 6. Doug Herbert, 4.609, 313.15 vs. 11. Hillary Will, 4.649, 313.58; 7. Tony Schumacher, 4.622, 317.64 vs. 10. Alan Bradshaw, 4.647, 307.79; 8. Brandon Bernstein, 4.623, 324.75 vs. 9. J.R. Todd, 4.623, 322.34.
Funny Car -- 1. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.881, 301.81 vs. 16. Gary Densham, Chevy Impala, 5.042, 296.37; 2. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 4.901, 305.91 vs. 15. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.988, 298.27; 3. Frank Hawley, Dodge Charger, 4.907, 311.63 vs. 14. Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.979, 305.56; 4. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.911, 303.57 vs. 13. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.965, 301.20; 5. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.912, 304.53 vs. 12. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.940, 306.12; 6. Jerry Toliver, Charger, 4.917, 298.27 vs. 11. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.933, 304.32; 7. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.917, 293.09 vs. 10. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.929, 301.60; 8. Ashley Force, Mustang, 4.920, 298.80 vs. 9. John Force, Mustang, 4.921, 304.60.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Del Worsham, 5.124, 288.39; 18. Mike Neff, 5.228, 303.91; 19. Scott Kalitta, 7.637, 152.59.
Pro Stock -- 1. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.720, 204.51 vs. 16. Justin Humphreys, Dodge Stratus, 6.761, 203.68; 2. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.723, 204.23 vs. 15. Todd Hoerner, Stratus, 6.760, 202.79; 3. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.724, 204.66 vs. 14. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 6.759, 203.61; 4. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.732, 203.68 vs. 13. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.755, 204.14; 5. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.736, 204.48 vs. 12. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.754, 203.55; 6. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.737, 203.31 vs. 11. Jason Line, GXP, 6.751, 203.16; 7. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.739, 205.51 vs. 10. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.751, 203.61; 8. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.742, 203.89 vs. 9. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.749, 203.43.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Tom Hammonds, 6.767, 202.91; 18. Johnny Gray, 6.776, 203.55; 19. Bob Yonke, 6.804, 202.39; 20. Kenny Koretsky, 6.805, 201.88; 21. Max Naylor, 6.814, 202.24; 22. Ben Watson, 6.818, 201.43; 23. Lamar Swindoll Jr, 6.828, 200.59.
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - BARTONE SITS NO. 1 IN TOPEKA; DIXON, CONNOLLY ALSO IN PROVISIONAL SPOTS AT HEARTLAND PARK
Larry Dixon and Dave Connolly were also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the ninth of 24 events on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Bartone drove his Canidae Pet Food Chevy Monte Carlo to a 4.881-second pass at 301.81 mph to become the provisional top qualifier. It would be Bartone’s second career No. 1 qualifier, with his first coming in 2006.
“Our last No.1 qualifier was in Englishtown and I remember it like it was yesterday,” said Bartone. “We’ve got a good car but what we’re lacking is consistency. If we can pick up some consistency, maybe we can go a few rounds and win one of these things.”
Current Funny Car points leader Tim Wilkerson sits 12th after two rounds of qualifying, while defending world champion Tony Pedregon is in the 18th spot.
“The first round we had some trouble with the motor so I just shut it off,” said Dixon. “We came back and made the adjustments we needed and knew the weather would be this way and to have a run like that is really just a testament to (crew chief) Donnie Bender.”
Defending event winner Brandon Bernstein currently sits in the seventh spot, while points leader and defending world champion Tony Schumacher is ninth.
“I think we’re getting closer and closer,” said Connolly, who spent the first five races of the season on the sidelines. “I was just happy to pick up a final and get a win two weeks ago. My team’s working hard and we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Current points leader and defending event winner Greg Anderson sits in the ninth spot, while defending world champion Jeg Coughlin is currently eighth.
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at 11:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday’s eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park Topeka, ninth of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 4.527 seconds, 325.30 mph; 2. Cory McClenathan, 4.565, 323.04; 3. Rod Fuller, 4.565, 320.13; 4. Antron Brown, 4.584, 292.77; 5. Doug Kalitta, 4.590, 324.83; 6. Doug Herbert, 4.609, 313.15; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 4.623, 324.75; 8. J.R. Todd, 4.623, 322.34; 9. Tony Schumacher, 4.624, 317.64; 10. Hillary Will, 4.661, 313.58; 11. Joe Hartley, 4.670, 321.81; 12. Alan Bradshaw, 4.679, 304.12. Not Qualified: 13. Morgan Lucas, 4.680, 306.12; 14. Bob Vandergriff, 4.766, 291.01; 15. David Grubnic, 4.786, 283.79.
Funny Car -- 1. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.881, 301.81; 2. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 4.901, 305.91; 3. Frank Hawley, Dodge Charger, 4.907, 311.63; 4. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.911, 300.80; 5. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.912, 304.53; 6. Jerry Toliver, Charger, 4.917, 298.27; 7. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.917, 292.27; 8. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.933, 304.32; 9. John Force, Mustang, 4.936, 302.28; 10. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.938, 295.40; 11. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.940, 306.12; 12. Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Impala, 4.979, 305.56. Not Qualified: 13. Ashley Force, 4.991, 298.80; 14. Mike Neff, 5.010, 303.91; 15. Cruz Pedregon, 5.026, 291.95; 16. Gary Densham, 5.074, 296.37; 17. Del Worsham, 5.231, 235.43; 18. Tony Pedregon, 5.467, 223.95; 19. Scott Kalitta, 6.246, 152.59.
Pro Stock -- 1. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.730, 204.20; 2. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.731, 204.42; 3. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.742, 203.89; 4. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 6.751, 203.43; 5. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.752, 204.48; 6. Jason Line, GXP, 6.753, 203.12; 7. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.754, 203.55; 8. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.755, 203.52; 9. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.759, 203.61; 10. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.760, 202.85; 11. Justin Humphreys, Stratus, 6.761, 203.68; 12. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.764, 205.26. Not Qualified: 13. Ron Krisher, 6.765, 203.61; 14. Greg Stanfield, 6.780, 202.88; 15. Tom Hammonds, 6.782, 202.91; 16. Johnny Gray, 6.786, 203.28; 17. Larry Morgan, 6.793, 202.21; 18. Max Naylor, 6.806, 202.24; 19. Bob Yonke, 6.808, 202.39; 20. Ben Watson, 6.813, 201.43; 21. Todd Hoerner, 6.826, 202.79; 22. Kenny Koretsky, 6.867, 199.55; 23. Lamar Swindoll Jr, 6.880, 200.26.
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EVENT PREVIEW - PROVING THEMSELVES ALL OVER AGAIN
Meanwhile Dave Connolly, one of the youngest drivers on the NHRA POWERade Series Pro Stock circuit, quickly picked up a good reputation as one of the fastest leavers at the starting line – drawing comparisons to established starting-line dominator Jeg Coughlin. After finishing 18th in the points his first season on the road, Connolly turned in four consecutive top 5 finishes – three of which were third-place seasons.
But after having established themselves, Troxel and Connolly found themselves literally at the starting line all over again a quarter of the way into the 2008 season – Troxel slowed by the transition to Funny Car and Connolly by sponsorship woes.
The two had combined for only three round wins through the first seven races of 2008 and were afterthoughts in the championship race, but that all changed May 16 at the O’Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals as Troxel and Connolly raced back to the winners’ circle to re-establish themselves as drivers to be reckoned with.
But they still have work to do if they hope to secure one of the 10 playoff spots in each class – Troxel is in 15th place; Connolly is in 14th place – and that work begins May 30-June 1 as the NHRA POWERade Series tour comes to Heartland Park Topeka for the 20th annual O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, the ninth of 24 events and the halfway point of the regular season. After Topeka, drivers have nine more races to crack the top 10 before the Countdown to the Championship playoff season begins.
After struggling through the first half of the regular season, Troxel became the second female to win a race in Funny Car, and the first female and the 14th driver overall to reach the winner’s circle in the sport’s two fastest categories, Top Fuel and Funny Car.
In 2008, Troxel made the move she’d only speculated about before and one her husband anticipated with more anxiety than joy – from Top Fuel to Funny Car. It was a move that made competing against her husband almost a certainty. Headlines predicted what would happen when the two halves of motorsports’ fastest couple stared each other down on the track. Johnson Jr. quipped it was “every man for himself.”
But it would be Troxel who would win first – not against Johnson Jr., but instead against fellow Funny Car rookie Mike Neff. Neff tuned Gary Scelzi to a Funny Car world championship title in 2005 before replacing the late Eric Medlen as pilot of John Force Racing’s fourth entry in 2007.
She beat another John Force Racing driver to do it with a second-round win over Ashley Force to become the seventh Funny Car driver to win in eight races – none of whom are John Force.
Before the season started speculation centered on which female, Troxel or Ashley Force, would become the first to win a race in that category. Ashley earned that mark in Atlanta, and both Ashley and Troxel won out of the 11th qualifying spot. Troxel preferred not to look at it that way, a battle between females for all-women records in a sport where being female isn’t a novelty. Instead, Troxel had her sites on a gradual learning curve she hoped would produce a win. Eight races into her first season isn’t bad, she said.
“If you had asked me at the beginning of the season how the season would be coming along if we went out and won the eighth race of the season, I would’ve said ‘that’s great,’” Troxel said. “For me to make the switch to Funny Car and go out and win the eighth race, that’s definitely a very good beginning to the season.
“I didn’t expect all of the struggling we had in the early part of the year. It’s been kind of a mixed bag of results. I’m definitely happy we won a race in the first third of the season, but that didn’t come without challenges and without struggling. We finally turned a corner and we’re starting to see the results of that.”
Unlike
Troxel’s low-to-high learning curve, Connolly’s rebound came all at
once. He returned to the Series in Atlanta with Charter Communications
as a backer and in three races had his first win of the year, making
2008 the fifth straight season in which Connolly won at least one race.
At the same event, his teammate Jeg Coughlin failed to make the field
for the first time in 70 events.“It makes you appreciate everything that much more,” Connolly said. “We got pretty lucky last weekend to go to the final round (in St. Louis) and then to come out (to Bristol) and I’m taking cones out (at Bristol Dragway) in qualifying and I would’ve never thought we would’ve made it to the winners circle, but we did.”
In Top Fuel, Brandon Bernstein looks to defend his title at Heartland Park Topeka in a season that has yet to yield a win for the Budweiser prince. Tony Schumacher enters the race with a sizeable lead on Antron Brown, the former Pro Stock Motorcycle rider who’s already earned two victories this season.
Leading the point standings in Funny Car and Pro Stock are Tim Wilkerson and Greg Anderson, who have two wins each heading into Topeka.
SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4 and 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 30. Qualifying continues at 11:30 and 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 31 and final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 1.
TICKETS: Tickets are available for the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX. Call NHRA at (800) 43-RACES. Tickets are also available at ticketmaster.com
ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours and 30 minutes of qualifying highlights at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute pre-race show, at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 1. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise the race beginning at 4 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 1.
LUCAS OIL SERIES: The O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX
also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA POWERade Series earn their racing stripes. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8 a.m. on May 30 and eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on May 31.
