NHRA CAROLINAS NATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SUNDAY FINAL - SCHUMACHER TAKES ALL-TIME WINS RECORD IN TOP FUEL WITH VICTORY AT NHRA CAROLINAS NATIONALS
Beckman, Humphreys and Johnson also earn victories at first NHRA drag race at zMax Dragway
Tony Schumacher became the NHRA all-time Top Fuel wins leader Sunday at the inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMax Dragway by racing to his 53rd career victory and moving past NHRA legend and longtime record holder Joe Amato.
Jack Beckman, Justin Humphreys and Steve Johnson also were winners in their respective categories at the first of six races in the NHRA POWERade Series Countdown to 1, NHRA’s playoffs.
Schumacher powered his U.S. Army dragster to a final round performance of 3.882 seconds at 317.64 mph to hold off Antron Brown, who finished in 3.923 at 309.42 in his Matco Tools dragster. It was Schumacher’s seventh straight victory and 12th of the year, 28th consecutive eliminations round win and 14th final round appearance -- all NHRA season records in his category.
“This is something just special,” said Schumacher who increased his Countdown to 1 points lead to 46 over Brown. “I feel blessed to be the driver of that race car. It’s hard work to get it. You win two or three races and you start setting records and you start to focus on how to keep it going. It seems so impossible. No one has ever done it before and there’s a reason for that. It’s hard to win these races. A lot of credit goes to Alan (Johnson, crew chief), but there are nine guys on that team who are incredible. I think the significance of what we’ve accomplished this year will hit me much later. I am very aware of it. I know how difficult it is to get here. But we’ve still got a championship to win and we need to focus on that.”
Schumacher defeated Countdown contenders Dave Grubnic, Larry Dixon and Hillary Will in earlier rounds before outrunning Brown in the final. Schumacher said the key round was his second round victory over the race's top qualifier, Dixon.
"That round against Dixon was just a huge moment," Schumacher added. "That was another down to the wire moment and we've been fortunate to have been a part of some of the greatest moments in NHRA history the last few years. Alan Johnson wants those moments. The key to having success in those moments is to recognize it and just dig down deep, focus hard and not let your mind get overwhelmed with everything. I was worried about that round because Dixon is a great driver and they have been running great all weekend. Fortunately we were able to get that one and go on from there."
Beckman continued his hot streak in Funny Car and earned his third straight victory in his fourth straight final round appearance. He drove his Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger to a 4.130 at 302.82 to hold off new points leader Cruz Pedregon, who clocked a 4.162 at 302.08 in his Advance Auto Parts Toyota Solara. Beckman moved from sixth to second in the points order with his victory, the fifth of his career.
The top five drivers in the Funny Car points are now separated by only 13 points and Beckman expects a tight race to the finish.
"It's been interesting," Beckman said. "Tim Wilkerson has been the dude all year long (led the points most of the year and today dropped to fifth). We did some interviews for the Countdown and (announcer) Bob Frey asked me who are the people that you're looking at the closest for being tough down the stretch, and (I said) it's all nine of the other cars. This year it's kind of been momentum swinging back and forth. Look at Cruz. Cruz has yet to win a race this year and he's been 'bad' at every single race. (Ron) Capps is going to win one before the year is out. And the non-Countdown cars - (Bob) Tasca, (Gary) Scelzi and (Jerry) Toliver - are probably going to be in a final round or two before the year's out. So, everybody is tough. The pairings are pretty odd the way we got Countdown match-ups today and then some that weren't. It just worked out perfect for this Valvoline team."
Beckman raced to early round wins over Jim Head, Del Worsham and Robert Hight before beating Pedregon in the final. Beckman says his team is peaking at the right time, enjoying the hot streak and hoping for more.
"We started the off-season with a team that had never worked together as an entire team, an empty race car trailer and no chassis," Beckman said. "It seems like everybody who crews for me has to work extra hard, so, guys, (directed to his crew), this is the thank-you for all the hard work that you have done. And I can't emphasize enough today that the crew won the drag race. I was just so lucky to be in that Valvoline/MTS car."
Humphreys claimed his first Pro Stock victory in his Race-Redi Pontiac GXP on a solo run after new points leader Kurt Johnson’s ACDelco Chevy Cobalt wouldn’t start prior to the final round. Johnson’s team pushed off his car and it started. However NHRA officials quickly informed the team that the car would need to start on its own, which it would not do. Regardless, Johnson moved into the points lead with the runner-up finish.
“I wanted Kurt to be in the other lane,” said Humphreys, who noted his team is utilizing engines from Warren Johnson's race team. “It’s definitely not as exciting when you make a solo run, but I was excited and happy to be in the winner’s circle – a Wally (the nickname of the winning trophy for NHRA founder Wally Parks) is a Wally and win is a win. I did the burn out as far as I could and backed up as slow I could, trying to give Kurt enough time to start the car. And when I let out the clutch, the car shook real hard and I had to shut it off.”
Johnson raced to his second-straight Pro Stock Motorcycle victory and fifth overall and in the process vaulted from eighth to second in the point standings. He took the win on his Snap-on Tools/Wyotech Suzuki when final round opponent Eddie Krawiec fouled at the start on his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.
"Confidence is a scary thing," said Johnson, who produced an average reaction time of .023 during the day. "I am so proud of my lights. I’m proud of the team, but I can cut lights good."
He used a horsepower advantage to run down Angie McBride in the first round and then took easy wins in the next three rounds as Wes Wells, Hector Arana and Krawiec all turned on the red-light. Johnson said the final round foul by Krawiec was a surprise to him as his crossed the finish line.
"I didn’t know that he red-lighted," Johnson said."I was tucked under the paint and looked over and he was ahead of me. I thought, ‘How the hell did he do that?’ Then I saw my win light and I figured out that he’d red-lighted. I was so excited that I didn’t get the bike stopped in time and ran into the sand."
The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Countdown to 1 continues Sept. 18-21 with the O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas.
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Sunday's final results from the Inaugural NHRA Carolinas
Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the 19th of 24 in the NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series, and the first of six races in the
Countdown to 1, NHRA's playoffs:
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - DIXON, HAWLEY, JOHNSON AND SMITH ARE NO. 1 QUALIFIERS AT NHRA CAROLINAS NATIONALS
Funny Car legend John Force fails to qualify in zMax Dragway debut and Countdown to 1 opener
Larry Dixon put a temporary hold on Tony Schumacher’s recent dominance
by racing to the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel Saturday at the
NHRA Carolinas Nationals. Meanwhile, Funny Car icon John Force failed
to qualify in his debut at the spectacular zMAX Dragway and the opening
race of the Countdown to 1, NHRA's playoffs.
Frank Hawley, Kurt Johnson and Matt Smith held on to their quick
performances from Friday and also will lead their respective categories
into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the first of six races in the
POWERade Drag Racing Series Countdown to 1.
Dixon remained atop the Top Fuel starting order based on his
performance from Friday, a 3.846 second run at 311.63 mph in his U.S.
Smokeless dragster. It was his third top qualifier of the season and
30th of his career. He could meet points leader Schumacher in the
second round if both win in the opening round.
“We came here to get qualified and then try and win the event,” Dixon
said. “If we can win this race, we’ll make up ground in the points, but
we’ve got a long way to go for that to happen. Today we were able to
run at the back of pack, and that helped us because we could watch the
cars that ran before us. We worked on race day set up. (Crew chiefs)
Donnie Bender and Todd Smith changed our chassis around before Indy,
and the car seems to be working a little better during the daytime. Of
course, this track is so nice. It’s all concrete, so it is more
forgiving for crew chiefs to be able to stand on the gas. It should
make for great racing tomorrow."
Schumacher, who qualified ninth in his U.S. Army dragster, could extend
several NHRA season records with a win this weekend, including marks
for most consecutive victories and elimination round wins.
Two-time NHRA champion Hawley claimed his first No. 1 qualifying
performance in Funny Car in more than two decades, driving his Rite-Aid
Dodge Charger to a 4.072 at 307.16. Hawley, who posted a runner-up
finish last month in Reading, Pa., is competing on a limited schedule
this season.
“The team earned this, but we haven’t had what you’d call a very
consistent performance," Hawley said. "We had a few mechanical problems
that have affected our reliability. Hopefully, we’ve put those behind
us. As exciting as it is to be the first low qualifier at this new
track, we start all over again tomorrow. When you’ve got a whole field
within six-hundredths, qualifying doesn’t matter. We’re gonna enjoy
this No. 1 tonight, and then that’s it. Tomorrow, it literally doesn’t
matter.”
Force, 14-time champion and Countdown-contender, failed to qualify for
the second consecutive race and fourth time this 
season, and put his
hopes of winning a 15th season title in jeopardy. It is only the 16th
time Force has posted a DNQ (did not qualify) in 513 career races.
"We've put a new chassis in play and have been struggling lately -- we
didn't qualify at Indy either," Force said. "We barely got in the
Countdown and this doesn't help us because the Countdown starts here.
We had the same opportunity as everybody else but we just didn't get
the job done. I'd like to apologize to Bruton Smith and all the great
NHRA fans here. When they give you an arena like this that brings in so
many people and I don't get to be a part of it on the track tomorrow,
it hurts. I will be here tomorrow signing autographs and on the
starting line watching my other three teams and I'm counting on them to
do some damage tomorrow to help me out. We'll have a great race
tomorrow and we'll go fix this and go on to Dallas."
Pro Stock's Johnson earned his second top qualifying effort of the
season and 29th of his career by powering to a 6.680 at 206.95 in his
ACDelco Chevy Cobalt.
“The hard part of Pro Stock is qualifying," Johnson said. "Compared to
qualifying, Sunday is fun. It’s huge for this team to come in here and
run like we did. I’ve got to get by Vinnie Deceglie first, but if we do
get by first round and we’ve got to run either Greg (Anderson) or Dave
(Connolly) second round, it’s going to be a tough match. It’s all about
points at this point. It’s a bigger race for them first round because
one of them is going to go home. You’re going to see more of this the
next five races, that’s for sure. Every run’s huge. You’ve got to race
the race track, and you’ve got to be on the (Christmas) tree. You’ve
got to have the whole package to win these days, so it’s going to be
tough.”
Local favorite Smith raced to his fourth No. 1 this season and 11th of
his career in Pro Stock Motorcycle, covering the distance with a 6.952
at 192.08 on his NitroFish Buell.
“This feels pretty awesome,” said Smith, a native of nearby King, N.C.
“Hopefully we can capitalize on this and win tomorrow. We went back to
our normal setup this morning and ran 6.98. We put a new tire on it for
the fourth qualifying run, and it shook and spun, but they usually do
that on first pass, so I think that we’ll be fine for tomorrow. This is
the best track I've ever been on. The fans have been great. I'd love to
see a second event here and that's not just because I'm a local."
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First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the
Inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMax Dragway, the 20th 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, 3.846 seconds, 311.63 mph vs. 16.
Doug Foley, 3.975, 307.44; 2. Cory McClenathan, 3.863, 312.71 vs. 15.
Clay Millican, 3.931, 306.74; 3. Antron Brown, 3.865, 311.20 vs. 14.
Troy Buff, 3.923, 304.67; 4. Hillary Will, 3.869, 315.12 vs. 13. Bob
Vandergriff, 3.898, 306.95; 5. Doug Herbert, 3.870, 311.49 vs. 12.
Morgan Lucas, 3.894, 309.42; 6. Doug Kalitta, 3.872, 310.84 vs. 11. Rod
Fuller, 3.889, 307.93; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 3.875, 313.80 vs. 10. J.R.
Todd, 3.883, 312.93; 8. David Grubnic, 3.876, 311.92 vs. 9. Tony
Schumacher, 3.879, 310.91. Did Not Qualify: 17. Tim Boychuk, 4.056,
286.74.
Funny Car -- 1. Frank Hawley, Dodge Charger, 4.072, 307.16 vs.
16. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.134, 301.00; 2. Robert Hight, Ford
Mustang, 4.072, 302.01 vs. 15. Jeff Arend, Toyota Solara, 4.131,
304.19; 3. Del Worsham, Impala, 4.074, 304.12 vs. 14. Gary Scelzi,
Charger, 4.123, 301.67; 4. Ashley Force, Mustang, 4.075, 307.02 vs. 13.
Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.121, 303.91; 5. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.087,
303.43 vs. 12. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.119, 300.53; 6. Jim Head,
Solara, 4.089, 303.57 vs. 11. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.118, 301.87; 7.
Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.100, 304.53 vs. 10. Ron Capps, Charger,
4.117, 300.06; 8. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.104, 304.46 vs. 9. Gary
Densham, Impala, 4.108, 296.18. Did Not Qualify: 17. Tony Bartone,
4.156, 300.86; 18. John Force, 4.157, 299.33; 19. Matt Hagan, 4.198,
295.72; 20. Tommy Johnson Jr., 4.205, 297.68; 21. Jerry Toliver, 4.240,
297.35; 22. Bob Gilbertson, 4.430, 266.74.
Pro Stock -- 1. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.680, 206.95 vs.
16. Vinnie Deceglie, Dodge Stratus, 6.715, 206.35; 2. Jeg Coughlin,
Cobalt, 6.684, 206.73 vs. 15. Greg Stanfield, Pontiac GXP, 6.714,
205.88; 3. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.685, 208.01 vs. 14. Jim Yates, GXP,
6.712, 205.91; 4. Richie Stevens, GXP, 6.685, 206.54 vs. 13. V. Gaines,
Stratus, 6.711, 205.82; 5. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.696, 206.29 vs.
12. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.710, 206.07; 6. Rob Mansfield, GXP, 6.697,
207.50 vs. 11. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.703, 206.57; 7. Jason Line,
GXP, 6.697, 207.34 vs. 10. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.700, 206.26; 8. Greg
Anderson, GXP, 6.697, 207.11 vs. 9. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.697,
207.02. Did Not Qualify: 17. John Nobile, 6.717, 206.57; 18. Rickie
Jones, 6.717, 205.79; 19. Johnny Gray, 6.718, 205.72; 20. Larry Morgan,
6.723, 205.85; 21. Tom Hammonds, 6.738, 205.32; 22. Max Naylor, 6.747,
205.51; 23. Ron Krisher, 6.792, 205.88; 24. Jim Cunningham, 6.857,
201.04; 25. Bob Benza, 6.877, 202.79; 26. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.937,
199.17.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.952, 192.08 vs.
16. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.189, 186.51; 2. Chris Rivas, Buell, 6.968,
191.19 vs. 15. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.114, 190.19; 3. Eddie Krawiec,
Harley-Davidson, 6.981, 192.30 vs. 14. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.098,
186.30; 4. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.007, 191.24 vs. 13. Wes
Wells, Suzuki, 7.072, 189.68; 5. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.029, 192.22
vs. 12. Angie McBride, Buell, 7.066, 187.99; 6. Chip Ellis, Suzuki,
7.036, 191.19 vs. 11. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.060, 187.16; 7. Karen
Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.037, 190.94 vs. 10. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 7.056,
187.26; 8. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.038, 189.73 vs. 9. Craig Treble,
Suzuki, 7.044, 191.02. Did Not Qualify: 17. Valerie Thompson, 7.262,
184.07; 18. Darin McCurdy, 7.344, 180.36.
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - DIXON PROVISIONAL NO. 1 IN TOP FUEL ON FIRST DAY OF NHRA POWERADE SERIES RACING AT SPECTACULAR ZMAX DRAGWAY
Frank Hawley, Kurt Johnson and Matt Smith round out provisional No. 1 qualifiers
Larry Dixon capped off the first day of qualifying at the Inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals with a booming 3.846 at 310.20 to claim the provisional No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel.
The other provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the first race in the six-race in the NHRA Playoff, the Countdown to 1, were Frank Hawley (Funny Car), Kurt Johnson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
Overflow crowds were on hand at Bruton Smith’s brand new zMax Dragway, built adjacent to Lowe’s Motor Speedway, to witness the first-ever NHRA POWERade Series drag race in the state of North Carolina.
“Man this place is so nice,” said Dixon, who is seeking his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and second in a row. “I’m just proud (Bruton Smith) thought so much of our sport to spend that kind of money.”
Dixon’s U.S. Smokeless team opened the playoffs in second place behind record-setting Tony Schumacher’s U.S. Army team, which finished the first day of qualifying outside the Top 12 and therefore not yet qualified. Schumacher will be looking to extend his active NHRA Top Fuel records for consecutive wins (6) and total wins (11) and break the all-time record for wins in Top Fuel that he shares with Joe Amato (52).
Hawley, who campaigned the famed ChiTown Hustler in the 1980s and is competing this year for the first time since 1991, ran a 4.072 at 307.16 to claim the provisional No. 1 in his Rite Aid Dodge Charger. It would be his first No. 1 qualifier in a Funny Car since 1983.
“What I want to do is put this car in the No. 1 qualifying position so that everybody will quit reminding me when was the last time was that I was No. 1,” said Hawley, who has every expectation that he will retain the No. 1 position. “Let’s put it this way, I already shook (crew chief) Aaron (Brooks)’s hand and congratulated him so I hope I’m not wrong.”
Among the notable Funny Car drivers not yet qualified are Countdown to 1 drivers Jack Beckman, John Force and Tony Pedregon.
Johnson, who tested at the track a week earlier, had the best combination in on the first day of Pro Stock qualifying with his 6.680 at 206.42 in his ACDelco Chevy Cobalt.
“There’s a bunch of fire-breathing dragons out there and it’s so close,” said Johnson, who entered the playoffs in second place behind Greg Anderson. “We have the ball rolling and now we need to keep it rolling.”
Among the notables not yet qualified in Pro Stock are Countdown to 1 drivers Allen Johnson and Ron Krisher as well as Tom Hammonds.
Smith, from nearby King, N.C., claimed the provisional top qualifying position aboard his Nitro Fish Buell with his 6.952 at 192.08. He begins the Countdown to 1 in first place.
“This place is awesome,” Smith said. “And I’m glad to have a home track. The surface here is so smooth and that is really important for (the bikes) because we don’t have a suspension so we feel every bump. I think I could have run maybe a 6.94 because we left a little bit on the table early in the run but otherwise, that was pretty good.”
Qualifying will conclude Saturday with the third and fourth rounds of qualifying and the race will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the Inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMax Dragway @ Concord, 20th of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 3.846 seconds, 310.20 mph; 2. Cory McClenathan, 3.863, 312.71; 3. Antron Brown, 3.865, 311.20; 4. Hillary Will, 3.869, 315.12; 5. Doug Herbert, 3.870, 311.49; 6. Doug Kalitta, 3.872, 310.84; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 3.875, 313.80; 8. David Grubnic, 3.876, 311.92; 9. J.R. Todd, 3.883, 312.93; 10. Rod Fuller, 3.889, 304.94; 11. Bob Vandergriff, 3.898, 306.95; 12. Clay Millican, 3.931, 306.74.
Not Qualified: 13. Tony Schumacher, 3.937, 308.92; 14. Troy Buff, 3.937, 304.67; 15. Doug Foley, 3.954, 307.44; 16. Morgan Lucas, 3.984, 304.94; 17. Tim Boychuk, 12.922, 78.79.
Funny Car -- 1. Frank Hawley, Dodge Charger, 4.072, 307.16; 2. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.072, 300.33; 3. Del Worsham, Chevy Impala, 4.074, 304.12; 4. Ashley Force, Mustang, 4.075, 307.02; 5. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.087, 303.43; 6. Jim Head, Solara, 4.089, 303.57; 7. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.100, 304.53; 8. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.104, 304.46; 9. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.108, 296.18; 10. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.117, 299.73; 11. Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.121, 300.60; 12. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.123, 301.67.
Not Qualified: 13. Bob Tasca III, 4.129, 300.53; 14. Jack Beckman, 4.129, 299.60; 15. John Force, 4.147, 298.14; 16. Tony Bartone, 4.156, 300.86; 17. Jeff Arend, 4.162, 299.60; 18. Matt Hagan, 4.171, 295.72; 19. Tommy Johnson Jr., 4.174, 297.68; 20. Jerry Toliver, 4.180, 297.35; 21. Tony Pedregon, 4.180, 297.02; 22. Bob Gilbertson, 4.431, 265.85.
Pro Stock -- 1. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.680, 206.42; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.684, 206.73; 3. Warren Johnson, Pontiac GXP, 6.694, 207.82; 4. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.697, 207.11; 5. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.698, 207.02; 6. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.700, 205.63; 7. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.703, 206.57; 8. Jason Line, GXP, 6.708, 206.80; 9. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.711, 205.82; 10. Jim Yates, GXP, 6.712, 205.72; 11. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.714, 205.88; 12. Vinnie Deceglie, Stratus, 6.715, 206.35.
Not Qualified: 13. Johnny Gray, 6.717, 205.63; 14. Steve Spiess, 6.717, 205.54; 15. Allen Johnson, 6.722, 194.41; 16. Rob Mansfield, 6.723, 206.99; 17. Tom Hammonds, 6.724, 205.16; 18. Rickie Jones, 6.725, 205.54; 19. Larry Morgan, 6.728, 205.69; 20. John Nobile, 6.730, 206.04; 21. Richie Stevens, 6.731, 205.76; 22. Max Naylor, 6.741, 205.51; 23. Ron Krisher, 6.808, 204.76; 24. Bob Benza, 6.824, 202.79; 25. Jim Cunningham, 6.854, 200.50; 26. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.931, 198.99.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.952, 192.08; 2. Chris Rivas, Buell, 6.968, 191.19; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.981, 192.30; 4. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.007, 191.24; 5. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.032, 192.22; 6. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 7.036, 191.19; 7. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.037, 190.48; 8. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.044, 191.02; 9. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.044, 189.73; 10. Wes Wells, Suzuki, 7.094, 189.34; 11. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.102, 184.42; 12. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.114, 184.27.
Not Qualified: 13. Angelle Sampey, 7.123, 187.26; 14. Angie McBride, 7.213, 183.47; 15. Valerie Thompson, 7.220, 184.07; 16. Joe DeSantis, 7.246, 186.02; 17. Shawn Gann, 7.322, 181.11; 18. Darin McCurdy, 7.397, 167.41.
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EVENT PREVIEW - NHRA POWERade SERIES FINALLY COMES TO zMAX DRAGWAY AS COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS
After a year of tracking press releases and updated photos, and after more than a year of rumors, the NHRA POWERade Series finally comes to the heart of NASCAR country Sept. 11-14 for the inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals. It’ll be the first race of six in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs and the beginning of the march to the end of the 2008 season for the elite drivers of the world’s fastest motorsport. The race will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.
It’s also the second of four events in a five-week stretch that nearly rivals the more famous and oft-referenced Western Swing.
The earliest aerial photos left little room for speculation. Indeed, this track, the proclaimed “Bellagio of Drag Strips” by many, would have four lanes, although only two will be used. The monster nerve center of zMAX Dragway, the control tower where media and suites also would be housed, would be a reality. Promises deemed impossible to reach by anyone but O. Bruton Smith were no fables.
And now the time has finally come for the biggest show in drag racing – the NHRA POWERade Series – to meet the sport’s newest track.
“I’m looking forward to racing there for several reasons,” said Tommy Johnson Jr., driver of the Monster Energy Dodge Charger R/T. “The caliber of the Bruton Smith facilities in my opinion is top notch, but I think this will be the ultimate drag strip…It will also give us a chance to give our NASCAR friends and fans in the southeast a taste of drag racing. This is huge for our sport and I’m happy to be able to be a part of the inaugural event.”
Several drivers have already had the chance to see the track in its various stages of construction, from the first press conference announcing its birth to the final ribbon cutting, but it was Johnson’s father who was the first Johnson family member to test its rare concrete surface.
“My father raced when I was a child and it was because of his involvement in drag racing that I inherited my passion for the sport,” Johnson Jr. said. “My dad lives in Charlotte, so a couple of weeks ago when the strip was opened for locals to have a chance to test it out with their own cars, he drove his tricked-out Camaro down the strip and then sent me pictures. So he got to say he was the first in the family to race on the surface and had nothing but great things to say about the facility.”
The books were hardly closed on NHRA’s “Big Go” in Indianapolis when all attention shifted to this next big stage. Ten drivers in each category have qualified for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs that will culminate in the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona in November.
In Top Fuel, the following drivers are still in the running for world championship titles: Tony Schumacher (U.S. Army), Antron Brown (Matco Tools), Larry Dixon (U.S. Smokeless), Cory McClenathan (FRAM), Rod Fuller (Caterpillar), Brandon Bernstein (Budweiser), Hillary Will (KB Racing), Doug Herbert (Snap-on Franchise.com), Doug Kalitta (Mac Tools) and Dave Grubnic (DHL).
Funny Car drivers issued playoff invitations are: Tim Wilkerson (Levi, Ray & Shoup); Tony Pedregon (Q-Horsepower); Robert Hight (Auto Club); Cruz Pedregon (Advance Auto Parts); Ashley Force (Castrol GTX); Jack Beckman (Valvoline/MTS); Gary Densham (Racebricks); John Force (Castrol GTX); Ron Capps (NAPA Auto Parts); and Mike Neff (Old Spice).
In Pro Stock, the following drivers remain eligible for world championship titles: Greg Anderson (Summit Racing); Kurt Johnson (ACDelco); Jeg Coughlin (JEGS.com); Jason Line (Summit Racing); Allen Johnson (Team Mopar); Dave Connolly (Charter Communications); Mike Edwards (Young Life); V. Gaines (Kendall); Ron Krisher (Valvoline); and Greg Stanfield (Attitude Apparel).
Pro Stock Motorcycle riders who made the cut are: Matt Smith (NitroFish Wear); Andrew Hines (Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines); Chip Ellis (Schumacher Electric); Angelle Sampey (Rush Racing); Chris Rivas (G-Squared); Matt Guidera (Mohegan Sun); Eddie Krawiec (Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines); Steve Johnson (Snap-on Tools/Wyotech); Craig Treble (Schumacher Electric); and Karen Stoffer (Geico).
These drivers have a short six races to prove they deserve 2008 NHRA POWERade Series world championship titles, and the fight starts at zMAX Dragway.
