A bull in a china shop would have been less conspicuous than the domination Mike Edwards displayed this past weekend.

Edwards left no doubt that he was the man to beat at the NHRA Thunder
Valley Nationals Pro Stock title from day one when he moved to the top
of the qualifying order in the first session. He then solidified his
hold on the top spot in the second qualifying session. On the final day
of qualifying, when he couldn’t improve on his Friday effort, he was
still the quickest each time down the track.

On Sunday he saved the best for last as he not only established low
elapsed time for the event, set a new track ET record and scored his
second NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock victory of the 2009 season.

The dragstrip is no place to be cutting off the guy in the other lane, or making right and left turns for that matter.

However, that is exactly what John Force did in his first round race
against Jack Beckman. After a lengthy staging battle, Force left on
Beckman, only to lose the advantage in the latter portion of the track.

Force slid out of the groove and made an abrupt right turn into Beckman’s lane, barely avoiding a collision.

"I've been wearing glasses lately for better vision. If they're going
to give me that good a vision for the rest of the year I don't ever
want to wear them again," Beckman said with a laugh.

SCHUMACHER, WORSHAM AND EDWARDS WIN NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY

Tony Schumacher raced to his third victory of the season Sunday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Del Worsham and Mike Edwards also were winners at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

Schumacher crossed the finish line in 3.857 seconds at 310.91 mph in
his U.S. Army dragster to edge Doug Kalitta, whose Kalitta Motorsports
dragster trailed at 3.879 at 303.43. It was Schumacher’s third victory
at the legendary Tennessee drag strip and the 59th of his career.

In earlier rounds, Schumacher beat Terry Haddock, Morgan Lucas and
Brandon Bernstein. With the victory the six-time NHRA Full Throttle
Series world champ moved back into the series lead.

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the
Ninth annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, the
eighth of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -

Round-by-round results from the Ninth annual NHRA Thunder Valley
Nationals at Bristol Dragway, the eighth of 24 events in the NHRA Full
Throttle Drag Racing Series:

Sunday’s final-round results for the professional categories for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Allen Johnson learned the importance of family early in life.

The Pro Stock driver from Greeneville, Tenn., announced on Friday
during the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals that he will carry the colors
of Foster Care Appreciation Month in conjunction with the locally based
Free Will Baptist Family Ministries [FWBFM], a group which provides a
shelter for displaced children.

Johnson was introduced to FWBFM as a kid. Then, Johnson recalls, the
home was known as an orphanage. It didn’t take Johnson long to
understand how blessed he was to have a close-knit family.

“This is something that is near and dear to my heart,” Johnson said. “I
grew up with a lot of kids from the Free Will Baptist Family
Ministries. They take in a lot of state orphans. Maybe the kids’
parents had been sent to jail and the home tutored them and took care
of them until the parents came back.”

After two rounds of qualifying, Ike Maier of Tottenham, Ontario paced the field in the season opening Pro Modified Racing Association at the Cayuga Dragway at Toronto Motorsports Park.
 
Driving the Maier Motorsports 1963 Corvette Pro Modified, Maier set low
elapsed time of the day with a 6.310-second, 223.80-mph pass on the
Cayuga quarter-mile. Joe Boniferro of Niagara Falls, Ontario was next
in the Smokin’ Joe’s 1999 Avenger with a 6.340-second, 221.56-mph run,
while Gary Irving of Toronto took third in the Al Hinds 2004 Corvette
at 6.391-seconds, 209.17-mph. Jack Grainy of Niagara Falls, New York,
and Bruce Boland of Hamilton, Ontario rounded out the top five.
 
The PMRA Pro Modifieds will continue May 17 with its final qualifier
during the Victoria Day Weekend Challenge at noon. Final eliminations
will begin for the eight-car field starting at 2:00 pm.

In the final rounds of qualifying at the Texas Sportsman Challenge, a
round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at Houston Raceway Park,
Malcolm Wahle, Claremore, Okla., moved in to the No. 1 qualifier spot
in Top Alcohol Dragster.  Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Tony Bartone,
Long Island City, N.Y., remained in the top spot in his class.  Fields
in all classes are now set for eliminations on Sunday.

Wahle moved up from the No. 2 spot with a 5.348-second, 266.21 mph
pass.  No. 2 qualifier Michael Manners of Willis, Texas, also improved
on Friday’s outing with a 5.383-second, 263.82 mph pass but it was not
enough to get him past Wahle.  Friday’s top qualifier, Dallas’s Todd
Odom, did not better his numbers and slipped into the third qualifying
spot.   Wahle will take on No. 8 qualifier Karl Brounkowski, Magnolia,
Texas, in the opening round of eliminations.

Bartone also failed to improve on his opening day run of 5.666 seconds
at 257.92 mph but it was still enough to keep him atop the field. 
Corpus Christi, Texas, racer Steve Burck moved from the No. 3 spot into
No. 2 with a 5.766-second, 249.67 mph lap.  Bartone will square off
against the defending division champion Steve Harker of Gainesville,
Ga., in round one of eliminations.

After nearly five hours under a rain delay, qualifying is complete at
the 3rd Annual B’laster Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser, a
round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at Summit Motorsports
Park.  Mike Kosky, Cuddy, Pa., remained atop the Top Alcohol Dragster
field while Racine, Wis., resident Andy Bohl continued to set the pace
in Top Alcohol Funny Car.  Eliminations will start Sunday at 8 a.m.

In the opening round of qualifying on Friday, Kosky laid down a
5.342-second, 266.53 mph blast to take the No. 1 spot. He did not
improve on that number today but it was enough to keep him ahead of No.
2 qualifier Bill Reichert of Owosso, Mich.  Reichert also failed to
improve on Friday’s pass of 5.371 seconds at 268.49 mph.  There were 15
Top Alcohol Dragsters vying for a spot in the eight-car eliminations
field.

Bohl did take advantage of today’s single qualifying shot, improving
his numbers with a pass of 5.623 seconds at 257.19 mph.  Mick Snyder,
Demotte, Ill., also made a better lap today and his 5.638-second,
254.86 mph effort was enough to move him from the No. 4 spot to No. 2. 
Fourteen Funny Cars were on hand trying to make the eliminations cut.