Photos by Ron Lewis, Larry Pfister, NHRA
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK – TOP FUEL OWNER-DRIVER REED SUFFERS HAND INJURY IN JOLTING 290-MPH QUALIFYING CRASH, PACIFIC RACEWAYS BOSS FIORITO TO WORK FOR FULL FIELDS GOING FORWARD
1 – TOP FUEL’S REED SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER WRECK – Top Fuel owner-driver Shawn Reed was transported by ambulance to a Seattle hospital Saturday with at least a hand injury following his 290-mph qualifying accident at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals.
Reed, an area native who fell in love with drag racing at Pacific Raceways, was conscious, alert, and communicating with emergency medical personnel in the aftermath of the crash.
It’s unclear at this point why his Reed Trucking and Excavating entry had a right-rear tire failure and damaged the rear wing as he powered down the right lane next to qualifying leader Doug Kalitta. The dragster spun around and nosed into the opposite guardwall in front of Kalitta, who had smoked the tires of his Mac Tools dragster for the first time all weekend.
Spraying shrapnel in all directions, Reed’s dragster ricocheted hard off the wall and slid backwards across the track. The remaining Goodyear slick was shredded in the incident that occurred as Reed clocked a 290.32-mph pass.
Crew chief Rob Wendland rushed to the accident scene and said, “After coming down here and looking at the car, the motor’s intact. I don’t see anything from the motor area or anything like that. The belt’s still on it, but it looks like it lost a right-rear tire. It takes the wing out, makes the car turn, and it took a couple bad hits. It took a couple bad hits to the roll-cage area.
“He’s alert. It knocked the wind out of him,” Wendland said, “but I think he’s got a pretty good laceration on his hand from the steering wheel. But he’s a pretty tough son of a bitch. He may have sustained a pretty good injury to his hand, but they’re going to take him to the hospital to a specialist right now to take a look at all that and are going to check him out real well,” Wendland said. “This is his heart and soul, having this race car out here.”
Reed grew up at nearby Puyallup, Wash., and for many years lived in the area at Lake Tapps.
Heading into the weekend, Reed had said how much he’d like to win a so-called “Wally” trophy in front of the hometown crowd: “All I ever wanted is a Wally, so to get that in Seattle would be the most amazing thing ever. I don’t necessarily think the stakes are higher being I’m at my home track, but I do put the pressure on myself to perform and yes, I hope to be successful in front of my hometown friends and family and coworkers.
“The car has been awesome. All year long, our qualifying position has been great. The car’s been running well. We just have had some bad luck on Sunday. We can’t try to change anything up. We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing, and pretty soon I believe that the luck will change and we can get that first win.”
2 – REACTION TO REED’S ACCIDENT – Top Fuel racer Tony Stewart, who ran in the next pairing after the one-hour, 18-minute delay following Shawn Reed’s crash, said, “This is one giant family, and everybody cares about each other. Sean’s a good friend of mine. We both have places in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Shawn and his wife were awesome. So thinking about him, thinking about all of our fans here that had to see all that and what went on.
“But it’s what we all sign up for, unfortunately. So when you get the signal from the crew chief and turn the switches on and they get ready to spin the motor over, you just got to lock in and focus on doing your job,” he said. “And the good thing is it’s not like we got to wait for three and a half hours to get out of the car and think about our friends again. So we’ll go back, and I’m going to send Shawn a message right away. And hopefully we get done here with our last round. We’ll go visit him and see how he’s doing.”
Stewart’s crew chief, Neal Strausbaugh, said, “I’m just thinking about the Reed family and what they’re going through right now. It’s really tough to get up and want to be racing after watching something like that.”
3 – TRACK BOSS WANTS FULL FIELDS, MANDATORY APPEARANCES AT SEATTLE – Pacific Raceways President Jason Fiorito is more concerned with improving the situation than pointing fingers or simply complaining. But he said Saturday that while he’s thrilled that his expensive second-year night-racing experiment at the dragstrip near Seattle – the NHRA’s oldest after Indianapolis Raceway Park – produced some memorable performances Friday night, he’s not thrilled that the fields aren’t full this weekend.
Only 11 Top Fuel dragster drivers entered this weekend, the fewest in this race’s 36-year history. The Pro Stock Motorcycle field has just eight entrants. The Funny Car and Pro Stock classes had 18 drivers vying for 16 spots in their respective divisions.
“If I have a gripe, it’s that we have 11 Top Fuel cars here, and that’s got to be managed going forward so that we have full fields. What I don’t like as a promoter is having 11 cars. Even PRO [the Professional Racers and Owners Organization] and the teams will admit that an 11-car Top Fuel field is not ideal. The NHRA will admit that an 11-car Top Fuel field is not ideal,” he said.
He said he recognizes that Seattle is a challenging trip for teams, most of which are headquartered at Brownsburg, Ind., but also from as far as Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Georgia. “It’s a long pull. But we have an obligation as a track, a sanctioning body, and as the racers organization. If we’re going to be on the schedule, it’s got to be a mandatory pull,” Fiorito said.
“And we have to figure out how to make that economically feasible for the teams, the tracks, and the sanctioning bodies,” he said. “We haven’t had a full field in Top Fuel and Funny Car since COVID started. And that’s not OK for our fans. So if I have a gripe, it’s as a promoter. As a track owner, we put a lot out there to put on these events, and we do it for the fans. That same level of commitment has to be shown by the teams to get up here and give the fans a good show both on TV and in our grandstand. So if I have a gripe, it’s that we have 11 [Top Fuel] cars here, and that’s got to be managed going forward so that we have full fields.”
For the second straight year, Fiorito has sunk more than $100,000 into lighting for the NHRA Northwest Nationals so fans can experience night-time racing with spectacular header flames from Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars.
And Friday’s single qualifying session for the 12,000-horsepower, nitromethane-guzzling race cars delivered. It produced a dazzling 340-plus-mph blast from Top Fuel speed queen Brittany Force, as well as track records in the Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes. Doug Kalitta came within a thousandth of a second of lowering his Top Fuel elapsed-time track record.
For all the positives from this weekend’s event and from years of developing mutually respectful relationships with all the parties it takes to stage a successful race, one other glaring problem has Fiorito trying to figure out how to put on an entertaining program and stay afloat financially.
Just two Funny Cars made it down the 1,000-foot course under full power Friday night, and only four of the 11 dragsters made complete passes under power. Fiorito said he recognizes that the cooler temperatures mean ideal conditions, that the racers in each nitro class were vying for $4,000 in bonus money from Deecell Power Systems, and that drivers are supercharged about competing under the lights.
“I realize that when the sun goes down and the track temperature is down and we’ve got cool, dense, moisture-filled air, everybody sets it on kill to try to set a track record or a world record. And I think that was what we watched [Friday] night, is that conditions were so ideal that teams were setting it on kill and they got a little greedy,” Fiorito said. “But from a fan’s perspective, only two Funny Cars made it down and made full passes for our fans. We need to do better. We really do need to do better. And I understand that there are different motivations for all of us that are involved in this sport, but ultimately we’re here to put on a show.”
Fiorito said, “When this event is in the books and we regroup with PRO and NHRA, we’re going to be laying things on the table on how we get full fields and how we put on a show that gets cars down the track.”
From his own viewpoint, he said, “Last year we experienced about a 100-percent increase in attendance on Friday, but everything we increased on Friday was lost on Saturday. And so that was part of the decision that we made: How do we set it up this year so that we can give the fans what they want – the Friday night under the lights – but also incentify them to come back on Saturday? They were missing the first pass, anybody that had to go to work, on Friday night. This is the first opportunity in NHRA history that has four qualifying runs that split up this way,” with one nitro round Friday and three Saturday.
Ultimately, he said, “Part of what we’re trying to do here obviously is make ends meet. That’s a primary goal of any business.” But he’s pragmatic: “If you spread the costs over the three days, because it’s not just a Friday expense, although logistically we only have the lights turned on Friday, but you have to look at this as a whole event. And if at the end of the day we give our fans what they want … which was, ‘We heard the feedback. We want the ability to work on Friday and see all four qualifying runs.’ I think it was good giving folks on Saturday something they’ve never seen before – three full qualifying runs.”
He said Kalitta Motorsports’ Chad Head is his liaison between the racetrack and PRO and that Head told him, “Jason, this is all about the fans. This is going to be tough on the teams. I’m going to hear some grumbling, but we’re here to make the track and the sport successful. And if we have to overwork ourselves on Saturday, we’re going to do it because that’s what’s best for the fans.”
Funny Car veteran Ron Capps echoed that Saturday, saying of the format, “I love it. It’s old-school. We’ll try anything for our fans.”
Fiorito clearly is invested and committed, in his words, “to finding a way to make it economically feasible for all the teams. We can’t put teams out of business. We’re open to anything that allows us to do that. And we’re working with good people on all three corners of that triangle.” He emphasized that the NHRA “has shown themselves to be able to think outside the box.” And he said PRO is an engaged stakeholder. He said he’s optimistic they’ll collaborate for a solution that benefits all parties.
4 – LEADERS PREPARE FOR ELIMINATIONS – As the Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier, Doug Kalitta has a bye run Sunday to start his pursuit of his 56th win, which would tie him with four-time champion Steve Torrence for fourth on the class’ all-time victories list. It is the 64th time the Mac Tools dragster driver will lead the field.
No. 1 Funny Car qualifier Austin Prock recorded the fourth top starting berth of his career and 22nd overall. He’ll meet Dylan Winefsky, the No. 16 starter, in the opening round of Sunday’s eliminations.
Hometown hero Dallas Glenn, who grew up in nearby Covington, Wash., said after claiming the Pro Stock category’s No. 1 qualifying spot and officially grabbing 11 of 12 possible qualifying bonus points, “It was a great day. We’re having a blast out here.” He noticed that as he rode up the return road after his victory over Greg Anderson in the finals of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge to secure the top starting position that fans were cheering him. “I’ve got a lot of people here supporting me. I almost felt like Greg Anderson.” In Sunday’s first round, Glenn will take on No. 16 qualifier Kenny Delco.
John Hall has won the prestigious U.S. Nationals and two other events since he began racing in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class at the 2012 Gatornationals. But it wasn’t until Saturday that he scored the first pole position of his career. He did it by defeating Matt Smith, the racer he beat in the finals at Indianapolis in 2013, in Saturday’s money round of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. As for his odds of winning Sunday, Hall said, “I feel like I have a chance as long as I do my job.” He’ll start with a match against Chris Bostick.
5 – #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE WINNERS – Shawn Langdon (3.718 seconds, 338 mph) defeated Tony Stewart to earn his fourth Top Fuel Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season.
In the Funny Car class, Austin Prock edged Matt Hagan in the Challenge final, and in the process swiped the No. 1 qualifying position from J.R. Todd with his 3.879-second pass at 336.40 mph. “That was definitely gratifying,” he said. Giving credit to his Cornwell Tools Chevy Camaro crew, Prock said, “We executed that perfectly. What a show for the fans. That was a hell of a show.” Hagan went 3.887 at 332.43.
The Pro Stock final was yet another showdown between Dallas Glenn and Greg Anderson, who traded provisional No. 1 qualifiers and track elapsed-time records Friday with Anderson getting the upper hand overnight. But Saturday it was Glenn’s turn to shine at his hometown racetrack, as he reset the track record for the third time this weekend at 6.462 seconds (at 212.73 mph).
6 – NITRO MOOSE SIGHTING IN FUNNY CAR – Funny Car newcomer Dylan Winefsky said Friday morning that he’s “be surprised if we don’t get into the low 4.0s this weekend. There’s no reason our car shouldn’t run a 4.0, even a 3.98, 3.99.” The 20-year-old rookie Nitro Moose Dodge Charger driver wasn’t too far off. He predicted he should be able to make the field, and he did – but barely, anchoring the field with a 4.224-second elapsed time at 292.96 mph. And for his effort, he’ll have the dubious honor of having to race red-hot Austin Prock, the No. 1 starter.
But at least Winefsky is in a better frame of mind than he likely was Friday. With just one qualifying opportunity on the opening day of qualifying, he was on a decent run but creeped over the center line and nailed – impaled – a timing cone and saw his run disqualified. But he rebounded to earn his first start. He missed the cut in his Las Vegas debut. Jon Capps and John Hale have raced his car this year.
7 – HAGAN MISSING DENVER BUT ANTICIPATING PLAYOFFS – Matt Hagan isn’t discounting this race and his Round 1 opponent, Buddy Hull, but he already has an eye on the end of the regular season and the start of the Countdown to the Championship. “I can’t believe we have four regular-season races left until the Countdown starts. The Western Swing doesn’t feel right without Denver on the schedule, so I’m really excited to see they purchased land for a new track. I’d like to get the broomstick to be able to sweep the Swing one day. We have a lot of momentum going, and we have a lot of close drag races we haven’t been on the right side of. It’s been a productive season, but we just have to keep pushing and working hard. As long as I do my job on the tree, things will keep going the way they need to. I’m looking forward to the second half of the season.” Hagan, runner-up to Austin Prock in Saturday’s Mission Foods Challenge, will begin eliminations from the No. 2 position.
8 – TOUGH LUCK, BUDDY – Buddy Hull had a rough day Saturday. In his first attempt of the day, the engine on his Lescure Funny Car entry let go, blowing out the windshield. Then the parachutes failed to deploy until just before he hit the sand at the end of the track. The body was shattered. And after the usually positive Hull had a moment to express his frustration as he exited the car, Hull said, “It was trucking. It was going down through there. Terrible deal. Beautiful car. Hopefully that didn’t tear it up.” Hull declared that he’s a testament to the safety equipment because “I’ve been in the sand twice so far this year. I’m standing here to talk about it, but it’s terrible. I feel bad for my team. Breaks my heart. But we love NHRA drag racing, and you better believe we’re trying to figure out how we’re going to get back [for the next session].” He said he had no idea why the engine exploded. He did return to action, this time with the popular Moon Eyes body. However, after he performed his burnout, the team shut down the car at the starting line and pushed him back off the track.
9 – VAN SANT FEELING SEATTLE VIBE – Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Chase Van Sant earned the first victory of his career here at Pacific Raceways last July, halting class dominator Gaige Herrera’s winning streak at 11 races (which was the most consecutive triumphs in NHRA history). Van Sant called the day “surreal.” He said, “It was one of those moments where a lifetime dream came true, and you can look back at your whole journey. It was super validating and gave me a lot of confidence that I belong in the position that I’m in. It also lights a little bit more of a fire to keep chasing that and ever since that day, it’s been more motivating to try to get back there.” But if Van Sant wants to repeat, he’ll have to do it from the No. 7 starting position – he won from the sixth slot a year ago – and will start out against Herrera.
Van Sant has two semifinal showings so far this year, and he said the Seattle event “definitely gives me confidence. I’ve always loved Seattle and that track, and it’s one that I always look forward to going to. I’m hoping going back just brings back some of those feelings and memories and sparks some performance out of myself and the whole team. We have had a really tough couple of races leading up to Seattle, but we have a great team and they’ve been working so hard to find the performance we need to get back to where we feel like we belong.”
10 – SPORT GOING TO THE DOGS? – Scott Kunau, the Idaho businessman who is an associate sponsor of Funny Car driver Paul Lee and Pro Stock Motorcycle racers Matt and Angie Smith, is known throughout the pits for his KISS costume as he combines his passion for the sport with his fascination for the rock band.
This weekend Kunau, a St. Bernard owner, has shown another side of himself, helping bring the St. Bernards of the Pacific Northwest giant-breed dog rescue not-for-profit organization, to the midway. Foundation owners Chelsea Bezouska and Katelynn Wilhelm raised awareness for their cause this weekend, and said Kunau, a longtime St. Bernard owner and cheerleader for the organization, has helped them line up some supportive drag racers who have donated time signing autographs at the booth. Among the racers spending time visiting with fans were Jianna Evaristo, Chris Bostick, Troy Coughlin Jr., Erica Enders, Dan Wilkerson, Dave Richards, Spencer Hyde, Cruz Pedregon, Jeff Diehl, Ida Zetterström, Angelle Sampey, Jasmine Salinas, and Cameron Ferré.
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK – BRITTANY FORCE RIPS ANOTHER 340-PLUS SPEED, QUALIFYING FEATURES FORMAT TWIST, PROS VIE FOR DEECELL BONUS MONEY, GORDON PRESSURES BELLEMEUR IN TAFC, RUTH REMEMBERED
1 – QUALIFYING TRADITION TWEAKED – Fans at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, near Seattle, saw only one nitro qualifying session Friday night, but the traditional two sessions for the Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes. Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers will have three qualifying chances Saturday, while the Pro Stock categories will finish time trials with two cracks at it. So everyone will have four shots at qualifying.
Pacific Raceways President Jason Fiorito said he’d like to take credit for the idea but “actually, it was suggested during a call with Glen (NHRA President Cromwell) and Tim (Erdmann, NHRA’s vice-president of finance). I believe Glen came up with it. I agreed it was a great idea. Many of our fans were unable to see the first session because of work, so it went largely unseen. Moving that first session to Saturday makes that a true festival of speed. This way, people can see all four sessions even if they work on Friday. We all thought that would be really special for the fans. I hope people take advantage of it.”
Funny Car driver Buddy Hull is all for the twist in the schedule, recognizing that it’s a prime opportunity that features cooler track temperatures and often impressive elapsed times and speeds in front of full grandstands.
“Night qualifying is what it’s all about: huge header flames, clean air, and a chance to put up a run that really sets the tone for the weekend,” Hull said. “Then we’ve got three runs on Saturday, which do a great job simulating Sunday conditions. That’s invaluable for the crew, and for driver confidence heading into eliminations.”
Top Fuel team owner-driver Josh Hart said, “Friday night in Seattle should be pretty spectacular with header flames and low E.T.s.”
2 – DEECELL PRESENTS BONUSES – Only the Dallas and Epping, N.H., NHRA races have offered bonus money to Friday’s quickest qualifiers before. But this year, the Deecell Power Systems “After Dark Low Qualifier” bonus provided extra incentive to drivers in all of the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series classes.
The Friday leaders in Top Fuel and Funny Car – Kalitta Motorsports teammates Doug Kalitta and J.R. Todd, respectively – received $4,000 each. Pro Stock tentative low qualifier Greg Anderson picked up $2,500. And John Hall, the provisional No. 1 Pro Stock Motorcycle racer, pocketed $1,500.
Top Fuel owner-driver Josh Hart said, “Anytime you put a carrot out there, every team wants to win the money or the specialty trophy, so that makes it exciting for the fans.”
Antron Brown promised, “We’re going to let it rip like a potato chip.”
Deecell Power Systems, a groundbreaking solar-power system for haulers and sleeper cabs and the official solar power unit of the NHRA, is owned by Comp Eliminator racers Andy Moeck and wife Melissa Murphy. Deecell also will be the title sponsor of the Comp Clash at the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis during Labor Day weekend.
3 – KALITTA ACES OUT FORCE FOR PROVISIONAL NO. 1 IN TOP FUEL – Just when Brittany Force thought her monster run at 3.703 seconds – and more spectacularly at 340.47 mph in the HendrickCars.com dragster – would bring her the prizes at stake during Friday night qualifying, Doug Kalitta swept in with a 3.671-second elapsed time to grab the spoils. The Mac Tools dragster driver is $7,000 richer as of Friday night. He received the $4,000 Deecell Power Systems bonus and a Tag Heuer watch from Seattle jeweler Ben Bridge that’s worth $3,000. His 335.90-mph speed was no match for her track-record 340-plus performance, but it’s elapsed time and not speed that counts when deciding the qualifying order. “So far so good. We’re looking good,” Kalitta said.
4 – HAPPY QUALIFYING TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT – J.R. Todd will be like Santa Claus in the Kalitta Motorsports pit this weekend. As the tentative No. 1 Funny Car qualifier and recipient of the $4,000 Deecell Power Systems “After Dark Low Qualifier” bonus, the DHL Toyota Supra driver said he’d share the payment with his hard-working crew. He said he “definitely didn’t think” his 3.901-second pass at 329.26 mph on the 1,000-foot course would end up being quickest. But he said giving the money to his crew was an easy choice: “It has to be the guys.”
5 – ANDERSON, GLENN DUEL IN PRO STOCK – Never mind that Pro Stock title contender Dallas Glenn literally grew up a few miles from Pacific Raceways, at Covington, Wash. Of course, he would like to capture a first victory at the dragstrip that used to be called Seattle International Raceway in his childhood, but especially so after his runner-up finish to Jeg Coughlin Jr. here last season.
“I’ve been thinking about our runner-up in Seattle since the day we left last year. We came up just a little short against Jeg, and we want to seal the deal this year,” Glenn said.
But Greg Anderson keeps getting in his way.
Anderson, driving the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro, claimed the Deecell “After Dark Low Qualifier” bonus of $2,500, using a 6.472-second blast to rewrite the track record Glenn just had carved. Anderson is going for his fifth top qualifier of the year and 137th of his career.
“I can’t express how badly I want to win the regular-season championship now that we are crowning them in the NHRA this year. I’ve been No. 1 in points heading into the Countdown the last two years, but there wasn’t a regular-season champion. So now that we have it, I want it. I want it bad,” Glenn said.
The driver of the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro entered the race second in the standings behind Anderson, his KB Titan Racing teammate and current champion. And Glenn shared his strategy.
“The way we get ahead of Greg is just keep the focus in our lane,” Glenn said, “and keep turning on as many win lights as we can and hope Greg makes a few mistakes here and there. He’s not making many mistakes this season, so we need to capitalize on it whenever we can.”
Anderson didn’t make any egregious miscues in the early Friday session, but Glenn did edge him by .005 of a second to qualify first in the lineup with a track-record 6.484 seconds on the quarter-mile. He eclipsed Chris McGaha’s 6.488-second mark from August 2015. McGaha still owns the Pacific Raceways speed standard at 213.40 mph from August 2015.
Glenn is second overnight at 6.479 seconds, .007 of a second behind Anderson, who battled an uncooperative visor during his run.
Glenn has three victories this season, and Anderson four to lead Glenn by 50 points coming into the weekend.
6 – FAME OF HALL – Pro Stock Motorcycle John Hall, aboard the Matt Smith Racing Buell, passed early leader Richard Gadson late Friday with a 6.717-second run to become the first “After Dark Low Qualifier.” The recipient of the $1,500 bonus, Hall said, “It was nice, clean, straight pass. I hope it holds (through Saturday), but I’ll take what I can get tonight.” Hall is seeking the first No. 1 start of his career. Hall said he usually gets “stuck in the regular hustle of work” at home, but “you come back out here and it revives you.”
Gadson powered to the top of the order in Friday’s early session with a 6.735-second elapsed time on his Vance & Hines Revzilla Suzuki Hayabusa entry but couldn’t improve to hang onto his top position. Jianna Evaristo’s 6.704 track record remains safe.
7 – GOING FOR 400 – If Top Fuel racer Shawn Langdon advances to the semifinals this Sunday, he will record the 400th round win of his career. “That’s pretty cool,” Langdon said. “Right now, I just go race, and that’s just where I am with round wins. I wouldn’t look at my career any differently if I had only 300 round wins or if I had 500 round wins at this point. It’s a cool accomplishment, and I’m sure at some point in my career, when I kind of get done with everything, I’ll look back on this type of accomplishment and it will really sink in. In the meantime, we have a job to do, and the job is not complete.”
8 – 100TH WOMAN TO WIN IN NHRA STILL HAS PLATEAUS TO REACH – Anyone who attended last year’s Northwest Nationals got to see Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Maddi Gordon earn her first victory to become the NHRA’s 100th different woman to win a race. But that’s only half of the story for the young Californian, who will be stepping up to a Top Fuel dragster next year for Ron Capps Motorsports, and only partly why that weekend was so special for her. Among what she called “all these amazing things” was a secret she was keeping.
“I couldn’t tell the whole story,” the dragster-driver-in-waiting said, “but I love that I can say it now.
“It was actually the same weekend that Ron asked me to drive his car in 2026,” Gordon said. “It was on Friday. So the whole weekend long, I had that in my brain. And so everybody was saying, ‘Oh my God, it’s just the biggest weekend for you.’ I’m like, ‘Yep, it was. I will always be the 100th different woman to win.’
“My sister Macie, she went to the semifinals of Sonoma the next weekend, so she almost became the 101st. That would have been so cool. That would’ve been awesome,” Gordon said.
Of course, it would be awesome for her if she were to log another memorable performance here this weekend. She’s second in the national standings in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class, 42 points off Sean Bellemeur’s pace in this last hurrah in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series for sportsman racers.
Gordon said she’s trying to focus on her family-owned alcohol car that dad Doug drove to three championships and once again shove any dragster dreams aside for a while. And right now, it’s a bit of a struggle, both she and her father said.
“We made some changes we didn’t think would affect the car as much as it did. It’s shown improvements in other ways but gotten worse in other ends of the tune-up,” she said. “But we’re working on it. It’s a challenge. We’re behind on the E.T. (elapsed time), but ahead on reaction time. So we’re actually pretty close. We’re kind of equalling out in the long run, but we still want to get that E.T. back. So if and when we figure it out, we’ll be better for it.
“We’ve got a shot, definitely,” Gordon said of her chances this weekend. Through the first two qualifying sessions Friday, she was at the top of the leaderboard. “We didn’t try to set low E.T. or anything like that. We just are trying to get the car down the racetrack. I wouldn’t say it’s there for sure. You never know what’s going to happen. We haven’t driven off the cliff. No, no. We’ve got a shot. I think we’ve got a shot. We’re not going to give up.”
As for the Top Fuel project, Gordon said, “I’m on a need-to-know basis – which is so awesome, because Ron does such an amazing, amazing job of basically just kind of slowly introducing me to that world, because it’s a lot different than this world. He’s slowly introducing me to all the things that’ll come next year, and he’s been very clear that he wants me to focus on this car.”
9 – LONG LIVE THE KING’S MEMORY – Jerry Ruth – the Pacific Northwest drag-racing legend, self-proclaimed “King,” and 1973 Top Fuel champion who passed away July 1 at age 87 – hasn’t been forgotten. A special display in the pit area this weekend at Pacific Raceways celebrates the man who dominated the region’s nitro ranks from 1964 to 1972. Ruth earned eight Top Fuel titles and three Funny Car championships. He was the first driver to score victories in two pro classes at the same race, in 1971 and ’72. For all his achievements, in 2003 he was inducted into the Don Garlits International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
“I owned and built the engines. I did meticulous preparation. My cars were all very beautiful cars. You’ll hear that,” the supremely self-assured Ruth once said. And one of them is on display this weekend, next to a tribute board on which fans can leave messages about their memories of Ruth.
Top Fuel drivers Antron Brown and Clay Millican remember the impact Ruth had on their careers.
“When I started driving a Top Fuel car with Lee Beard, Jerry came to quite a few races with Lee. He was real good friends with Lee, and he was always there to give some critiques and comments of what I need to be, how he needed to be through my first several years of racing a Top Fuel car,” Brown said. “He was a great guy, and man, he was a wealth of knowledge. And he was just always straightforward. He cut through all the stuff. It was always straight to the point.
“What I always loved about him was he was the first king – before the King of Speed (Kenny Bernstein) was the OG of Kings, you know what I mean?” Brown said.
Ruth said he enjoyed watching Brown long before he became a four-time Top Fuel champion, when he was fresh from the Pro Stock Motorcycle class in 2008. “I was there when he first got in it and kind of showed him how I thought he should (approach it),” Ruth told Competition Plus. “He pretty much remembers what I told him. Still does,” Ruth said years later. “He’s a natural for the job, so it was pretty easy to teach him. He’s very focused, and he’s athletic. He’s an intelligent guy.”
Ruth certainly didn’t mind telling the up-and-coming drivers when they did something incorrectly. Millican can vouch for that.
With a laugh, Millican said the King “didn’t hesitate to let me know when I was doing something wrong. He gave me a lot of pointers as far as driving the car.” Millican admitted he had developed certain habits in his bracket racing that didn’t translate to driving a Top Fuel dragster.
“So Jerry let me know real quick: ‘Boy, that ain’t the right thing to do!’ I had a ton of respect for him. I was so respectful I was almost nervous to be around him, because his reputation was so good for being such a good driver,” Millican said. “Jerry’s certainly a legend in the sport, no doubt about it.”
10 – ANOTHER 200-PLUS PASS – Matt Smith posted the first 200-mph-plus speed for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class this weekend in the first of two sessions. But his elapsed time (6.765 seconds on the quarter-mile) gave him only third place. He clocked a 202.21, his class-best 24th speed at 200 or better. The next-best speedster is reigning champion Gaige Herrera, with 14 passes of 200 mph or faster.
