To accommodate NHRA's East Coast
fans who don't want to miss ESPN's qualifying highlights from this
weekend's Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals from Phoenix but can’t
stay up to watch Saturday night’s original broadcast (scheduled to air
at 9 p.m. PT, midnight ET), the program will be shown again Sunday at
11 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD.

If hindsight is 20/20, then it’s understandable why Matt Hagan
is glad he spent more than the usual amount of time at Firebird Raceway
testing during the National Time Trials last month in preparation for
the 2009 season.

Though he only lasted atop the qualifying list for Friday’s opening
session at the NHRA Lucas Slick Mist Nationals for one round, he
couldn’t help but believe the previous time at the track in the desert
afforded him that short opportunity.

Sometimes you can’t help but notice when a car is giving off good vibes.

Larry Dixon remained No. 1 in Top Fuel qualifying at the NHRA Lucas
Slick Mist Nationals in a car that could seemingly do no wrong and with
a crew equally determined to keep every mechanical element in check.

Pomona’s DNQ is all but a distant memory.

A team of wild horses, or to be more accurate, sixteen other Funny Car teams couldn’t budge Ron Capps from the top qualifying position at the NHRA Lucas Slick Mist Nationals in Phoenix, Az.

Capps maintained the No. 1 qualifying position he set on Friday driving
the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Funny Car to an elapsed time of 4.023 seconds
at 305.63 providing his eighth career pole position and his first since
the 2005 NHRA season.

Capps was also No. 1 at Firebird Raceway in 2000.

Anyone who keeps pace with the Pro Stock news is well aware that
Mike Edwards has been on a tear since last spring.

It just so happens his improved performance coincides with the debut of
his new engine. Those who know the ever-determined Edwards say this
impressive display of potential is really no shock.

“We’ve made strides on our program this winter and it’s starting to pay
off for us,” Edwards said. “We have the engine shop and the race team
at the race shop. We’ve worked some long hours and put in some hard
time and I think it has showed off this weekend but it’s a long season.
We feel good about the results we have had. Hats off to my team and all
of my guys, for su

CAPPS, DIXON AND EDWARDS TAKE NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT PHOENIX

Ron Capps raced to his first No. 1 qualifying performance in Funny Car in more than four years Saturday at the Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals.

Larry Dixon and Mike Edwards also will lead their categories into
Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series event.

Capps, who won the season-opening race two weeks ago in Pomona, Calif.,
powered his Napa Dodge Charger to a 4.023 second run at 305.63 mph to
claim his eighth career No. 1 qualifying position and second at
Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix.

Sunday’s eliminations pairings for the 25th annual Lucas Oil Slick
Mist NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway. Results based on
qualifying, which ended Saturday.

TOP FUEL

Top Fuel – 1. Larry Dixon, 3.807 seconds, 315.71 mph vs. 16.
Terry Haddock, 4.094, 237.80; 2. Tony Schumacher, 3.826, 315.27 vs. 15.
Troy Buff, 3.974, 283.97; 3. Antron Brown, 3.830, 313.80 vs. Del Cox
Jr., 3.936, 306.46; 4. Spencer Massey, 3.847, 310.27 vs. 13. Mike
Strasburg, 3.922, 310.48; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 3.875, 316.38 vs. 12.
Joe Hartley, 3.913, 308.07; 6. Morgan Lucas, 3.879, 306.46 vs. 11.
David Baca, 3.910, 305.77; 7. Shawn Langdon, 3.888, 307.93 vs. 10. Clay
Millican, 3.907, 311.13; 8. Doug Kalitta, 3.897, 307.86 vs. 9. Cory
McClenathan, 3.904, 311.63. Did Not Qualify:  17. Steve Chrisman,
4.167, 280.49; 18. Steve Faria, 4.505, 222.14; 19. Rob Passey, 7.530,
81.82; 20. Arley Langlo, 15.695, 51.17.

Mike Neff figured when he landed the driving gig for John Force Racing
that his tuning talents would only be used on a roundtable basis,
considering the job tuner was clearly John Medlen’s gig.

The 41-year old Neff never figured there’d come a day when he’d have to tune the car and drive it to the finish line.

It’s a challenge that’s both intriguing and demanding for Neff, but he’s doing what he’s got to do.

Two days before the NHRA Lucas Slick Mist Nationals in Phoenix, Az.,
Medlen was struck with chest pains and was admitted to an Indianapolis
hospital where doctors inserted a stent in his heart.

Neff responded to the adversity with a stellar performance as both
driver and tuner by recording the second quickest Funny Car time in
provisional qualifying, a 4.050-second elapsed time at 309.06 miles per
hour, the quickest amongst the John Force Racing team.

In the desert, one can easily confuse reality with a mirage.

That’s the excuse Mike Edwards could give for not making his way to the
media center for his post-qualifying press conference following the
first day of qualifying at the NHRA Lucas Slick Mist Nationals in
Phoenix, Az.

The Coweta, Ok-based driver of the Young Life Pontiac drove his way to
the quickest run in each of the two sessions on Friday, finishing the
day with a track record 6.605-second run.

Officials for The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Auto Club Dragway
in Fontana, Calif., and the National Hot Rod Association’s Pacific
Division announced a major schedule change today for the NHRA’s 2009
Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.  The Auto Club Dragway event, originally
scheduled for April 24-26, now will be hosted by The Strip at LVMS and
has been rescheduled for April 10-12.

“This schedule change will benefit not only The Strip at LVMS and Auto
Club Dragway, but it also will be a tremendous economical savings for
the sportsman racers who support this series," said Chris Blair, LVMS’
vice president of racing operations.  "Racers will now be able to
compete in back-to-back events at LVMS – the NHRA SummitRacing.com
Nationals on April 2-5 and the Lucas Oil Series event on April 10-12 –
before towing to Auto Club Dragway on April 17-19 for the NHRA Sports
Nationals.”

Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events at The Strip at LVMS have attracted
as many as 992 sportsman racing entries and are the largest races on
the series’ 43-race divisional schedule.  The Strip at LVMS also will
also host a second Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event on Nov. 5-8.