Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel pilot Larry Dixon's 3.813 from the first session of qualifying carried through on the second day of the 46th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals to preserve his perch atop the pole for the time being. Though his run Saturday was cut short when he lost traction, the stout pass of the day before was unsurpassed by his rivals, including U.S. Army driver Tony Schumacher, his closest competitor for the Full Throttle Series championship title.

"Whether it's a good run or a bad run, it's good information all the time," said Dixon, who is aiming for a ninth low qualifying position of the season and the 49th of his career. "That run there, it was just too fast. The clutch wasn't slipping enough early and it just pulled the tires loose. Pretty simple. You always try to spin a positive out of it, and I'm thrilled that it happened today and not Sunday. It's one of those things, you learn from it, and you make the adjustments, so we'll go tomorrow and try maybe a little bit softer set up in that area and get our Al-Anabi car down the racetrack."

John Force picked up a critical bonus point in qualifying Friday at the 46th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals to move back within two rounds of points-leader Matt Hagan in the race for the 2010 Funny Car championship.

The one bonus point he earned for the third-quickest pass during Friday’s second qualifying session drew him to within 39 points of Hagan, who was shut out of the bonus points after earning three on Thursday.

Meanwhile, three of the four categories had new provisional No. 1 qualifiers – Ashley Force Hood in Funny Car, V Gaines in Pro Stock and Eddie Krawiec in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Larry Dixon remained atop the Top Fuel order.

With veteran racer Bob Glidden sidelined after collapsing at the top end following his run yesterday, car builder Jerry Haas took over driving the Jim Cunningham-owned Ford Mustang and clocked a career best 6.651 at 207.18 mph. Glidden's camp reports that although he suffered a bump to the head, Glidden was released from the hospital and is doing well.

We said it repeatedly in our Las Vegas coverage:  Man, is Pomona gonna be good.  With one day down, and three to come, we stand by that prediction.  It was a helluva start to what’s destined to be an exceptional weekend.  Of course, we say that now, but who knows what might happen between now and Sunday.  Heck, who knows what might happen between now and Saturday!

Thursday featured classic Southern California weather, with clear skies mild temperatures and, oh yeah, enough wind to blow over 60-foot trees along Arrow Highway outside the Fairplex.  Luckily, there didn’t appear to be any damage to the facility, but in SoCal you just never know.  You can never forget that this is an incredibly active earthquake area, and while residents always prefer to take the blasé stance on the subject, out of towners often get spooked if a heavy truck goes by.  But, when the fuel cars are on the line the ground is already shaking, so a 4.5 could come rumblin’ through and it’s doubtful that anyone would even pay attention.

The most common topic floating around the Pomona pits during the first day of the Auto Club NHRA Finals was the sanctioning body’s recently announced penalties aimed at curtailing race-delaying oil downs. While the vast majority believed something had to be done, an equal amount believed the NHRA’s reaction is on the harsh side.

Last Friday the NHRA announced it would impose penalties on teams depositing oil on the track surface during any qualifying or elimination rounds by taking away runs and lane choice if it occurs in qualifying. Beyond the run being taken away, teams would also face monetary fines totalling $2500 for the first offense.

These new regulations will be in play with the championships in both NHRA nitro divisions still undetermined.

Bil Clanton is following in his father’s tire tracks with the construction of a ’69 Camaro Pro Mod.

Back in the ‘70s, Ralph Clanton and his similarly-bodied “Big Money” ride ruled the roost at outlaw eighth-milers scattered throughout the Southeast before a devastating rollover accident at Winston County (AL) Dragstrip put a premature end to his racing career.

But son Bil (there’s no second “L”), kept the “Big Money” moniker alive, most recently on the familiar, fan-favorite ’53 Studebaker he’s campaigned the last eight years or so from his Rome, Georgia, base.

“The Studebaker is for sale,” Clanton declared less than a week after winning an outlaw Pro Mod race with it Nov. 6, at Emerald Coast Dragway in Holt, Florida. “It’s time for a change. We just need something lighter and a little more aerodynamic.”

The Top Fuel title fight isn't quite over, and Larry Dixon is doing everything within his power to drive his Al-Anabi Racing dragster to a third career championship title with defending world champ Tony Schumacher nipping at his heels.

The 85-point lead that Dixon held entering the event is nearly too much for Schumacher to overcome, but the two made a fantastic side-by-side run in the first session of qualifying for the 46th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona with Dixon going low of the round for the provisional No. 1, at 3.813, and U.S. Army driver Schumacher clocking a 3.840 which tied Technicoat campaigner Doug Kalitta's e.t. but beat him out for the No. 2 spot by speed.

There are still two days of qualifying remaining and three sessions, but if it stands, the pole position would be the ninth of the season for Dixon and the 49th of his career.

Matt Hagan has expressed total faith in Don Schumacher Racing and its abundant assets and in crew chief Tommy DeLago's skills.
 
But the Funny Car points leader definitely is not smug, although he fended off relentless rival John Force in Thursday's opening qualifying session for the Automobile Club of Southern California Finals.
 
Hagan topped the chart with a 4.139-second elapsed time at 293.86 mph in the Die Hard Dodge Charger on the Auto Club Raceway's 1,000-foot course.
 
Force fared fourth at 4.170 / 297.68 in the Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang, behind No. 2 Jack Beckman (4.144 / 302.82) and No. 3 Paul Lee (4.167 with the day's top speed, 304.39 mph).

Two weeks ago in Las Vegas the two Summit Racing Pontiacs enjoyed a spectacular outing and met in the final round with Greg Anderson bringing home the gold to put a near lock on his fourth championship title.

The KB Racing team carried the momentum into the first day of the 46th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona when Jason Line earned provisional No. 1 honors with his speedy 6.561 at 211.16 mph, and teammate Anderson's 5.563 at 211.20 was second quickest of the day. Rookie of the year contender Shane Gray was in the No. 3 spot with a run that tied Anderson in e.t. but was two miles per hour slower in speed.

New Orleans native and three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Angelle Sampey referred to it as gris-gris. In voodoo parlance, it means a lucky charm to ward off evil spirits.
 
Reigning champion Hector Arana never thought about, never really bought into the legend. But he has had plenty of fiendish luck this year. So when someone in the bike community gave him at the Dallas race a so-called gremlin bell -- a common accessory on his rivals' motorcycles -- he said he figured, "All those motorcycle guys use a gremlin bell, especially the Harleys. What do I have to lose? So I put this little bell on the chassis and we started turning things around."