PEDREGON AND KRAWIEC WIN POWERADE SERIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CROWNS

Dixon, Pedregon, Anderson and Rivas claim event titles at Auto Club NHRA Finals
 
Cruz
Pedregon earned his second NHRA Funny Car world championship title, and
first in 16 years, by racing to victory Sunday at the Auto Club NHRA
Finals in Southern California.

Meanwhile, Eddie Krawiec won his first POWERade Series crown in Pro
Stock Motorcycle, and did so without winning a race during the season.
He joins Rob Bruins, the 1979 Top Fuel champ, as the only drivers in
NHRA history to win a season title without earning an individual race
victory.

After Pedregon won his first round meeting against Jerry Toliver, he
secured his first title when his two closest challengers lost in the
first round. Season-long leader Tim Wilkerson fouled against John Force
and then Robert Hight lost to Pedregon's brother, Tony.

Final point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories
following the 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA
Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final of 24 events in the
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1. Tony Schumacher, 2,703; 2. Larry Dixon, 2,445; 3. Cory McClenathan,
2,406; 4. Hillary Will, 2,405; 5. Antron Brown, 2,370; 6. Rod Fuller,
2,368; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 2,327; 8. Doug Herbert, 2,307; 9. Doug
Kalitta, 2,209; 10. David Grubnic, 2,194.

Sixteen years later, Cruz Pedregon wins second Funny Car championship

Sixteen years after winning his first NHRA title, Funny Car veteran Cruz Pedregon returned to the top of the drag racing world
Sunday afternoon after advancing to the quarterfinal round of the
season-ending 44th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway.

"I'm stunned," an emotional Pedregon said moments after his brother
Tony Pedregon eliminated the last racer within reach. "It's awesome
Tony got that win right there because I'm standing here thinking of my
dad (Frank) and that I hope he's proud of his sons. I was 18 when he
died and Tony was 16 and now we each have two world championships.
We've come a long way for a couple of Hispanic kids from Chino."

Final round-by-round results from the 44th annual Automobile Club of
Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the
final of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Rod Fuller, 3.838, 314.83 def. Steve Torrence, 3.937,
254.86; Doug Herbert, 3.928, 298.93 def. Morgan Lucas, 3.986, 280.08;
Cory McClenathan, 3.878, 313.00 def. Doug Kalitta, 4.314, 230.06; Urs
Erbacher, 3.887, 316.67 def. J.R. Todd, 4.041, 309.77; Tony Schumacher,
3.821, 317.42 def. Tim Boychuk, 3.890, 300.53; Troy Buff, 3.840, 309.27
def. Hillary Will, 3.887, 313.44; Larry Dixon, 3.866, 312.57 def. Clay
Millican, 3.904, 314.46; Brandon Bernstein, 4.026, 276.80 def. David
Grubnic, 5.273, 128.59;

QUARTERFINALS -- Erbacher, 3.926, 309.84 def. Bernstein, 4.538,
243.81; Dixon, 3.868, 314.17 def. Herbert, 6.781, 85.86; McClenathan,
3.880, 312.57 def. Buff, 10.051, 76.71; Fuller, 3.862, 313.66 def.
Schumacher, 3.853, 315.56;

SEMIFINALS -- Dixon, 3.855, 309.98 def. McClenathan, 3.874, 309.77; Fuller, 3.851, 312.64 def. Erbacher, 3.991, 282.36;

FINAL -- Dixon, 3.833, 300.93 def. Fuller, 3.839, 310.48.

Sunday's final results from the 44th annual Automobile Club of
Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The
race is the final of 24 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Larry Dixon, 3.833 seconds, 300.93 mph def. Rod Fuller, 3.839 seconds, 310.48 mph.

Gary Scelzi understands the reality that he could be walking away from his final opportunity to drive a championship contending nitro car, once the Pomona weekend ends.

Scelzi’s not retiring, just stepping away while the time is right, to
tend to other business. He’ll come back if the perfect opportunity
presents itself, but with the current state of the drag racing economy
he knows those chances are getting slimmer with each lost drag racing
sponsorship.

“My wife and I talked the other day and there are basically, probably
only two people that I could drive for,” Scelzi said. “That would be
Connie Kalitta or Jim Head. Of all the people out here these are the
ones that I could drive for and have a good time. If I do make a
return, you might see me in Jim Head’s car at the Winternationals if he
decides not to run it. I doubt that but it is a possibility.”

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 44th
annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club
Raceway at Pomona, the final 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. Tony Schumacher, 3.827 seconds, 315.93 mph  vs. 16. Tim
Boychuk, 3.925, 305.49; 2. Larry Dixon, 3.831, 309.70  vs. 15. Clay
Millican, 3.907, 309.42; 3. Hillary Will, 3.835, 314.31  vs. 14. Troy
Buff, 3.904, 302.96; 4. J.R. Todd, 3.848, 308.14  vs. 13. Urs Erbacher,
3.904, 309.20; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 3.849, 311.13  vs. 12. David
Grubnic, 3.897, 310.20; 6. Cory McClenathan, 3.855, 314.31  vs. 11.
Doug Kalitta, 3.884, 309.56; 7. Morgan Lucas, 3.855, 306.46 vs. 10.
Doug Herbert, 3.877, 307.58; 8. Rod Fuller, 3.862, 310.34  vs. 9. Steve
Torrence, 3.862, 313.22.

Following three months of recuperation from a freak accident at Maple
Grove Raceway in August, Don Schumacher Racing crew member Michael
Knudsen is back working with driver Gary Scelzi and his Mopar/Oakley
Dodge Funny Car teammates at this weekend’s NHRA Finals.

Knudsen returned to the race track for the first time since suffering
second- and third-degree burns when several propane tanks used for a
portable concession stand were knocked over and a gas line ruptured.
Knudsen reached to turn off a valve on one of the tanks when a pilot
light on a gas grill is believed to have ignited the propane escaping
from the ruptured line.

“It’s been really tough to watch the races on television and not be
there with the crew guys and helping out,” said Knudsen, who was
working as a clutch technician on Gary Scelzi’s Dodge Charger R/T Funny
Car at the time of the incident. “I’m really glad to be back and
hopefully we can get a win for Gary in his last race.”

The popular Mail from Home program instituted by Mail Terminal Services in 2007 as part of the company's
support of the Vavoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T Funny
Car driven by Jack Beckman reached 100,000 cards as of this weekend,
surpassing last year's 90,000 mark.

The Mail from Home program allows fans and competitors an opportunity
to sign unique cards in the Don Schumacher Racing hospitality area and
at a kiosk within the U.S. Army Racing Zone at NHRA national events
with messages to the U.S. troops overseas, which are then distributed
free to war-zone camps by MTS.