Robert Hight who has qualified No. 1 the last three years in a row at
Pacific Raceway is hoping to make his efforts on Friday and Saturday
mean something on Sunday in his first round match-up with points leader
and juggernaut Tim Wilkerson.

“Honestly being No. 1 qualifier again isn’t that big of a deal when you
haven’t gone on to win on Sunday. You have four shots at qualifying and
sometimes you can throw one down and get at the top. That doesn’t mean
you can win on Sunday. That is what this whole game is about. Luckily,
this week we have a pretty big chance here,” said the two-time POWERade
championship runner-up. “It is no secret that Tim Wilkerson is way out
in front with the points lead. If we could capitalize on how he
qualified today. We can’t really rely on other guys to take him out. He
took me out last week so I didn’t do my job either. If we could get him
tomorrow first round and win this race it is actually a little more
realistic to catch him before the countdown.”

Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher captured
his fourth pole position of the 2008 season and 51st in his career.  He
recorded the quickest elapsed time in three of the four qualifying
runs, with his 3.802-second lap at 316.9 miles per hour in Friday's
second round earning the top starting spot.
       
"But being number one doesn't mean anything tomorrow on race day,
because there are no easy cars out there, no easy rounds," he said. 
"Like our soldiers around the world protecting our freedoms, we always
have to stay focused, to stay on our game. We, like those brave men and
women, cannot take anything for granted.

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the
21st annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways,
the 14th 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, 3.802 seconds, 316.90 mph vs.
16. Steven Chrisman, 4.232, 279.32; 2. Brandon Bernstein, 3.820, 316.52
vs. 15. Troy Buff, 3.956, 301.74; 3. Antron Brown, 3.831, 312.06 vs.
14. Bob Vandergriff, 3.882, 306.95; 4. Rod Fuller, 3.841, 313.73 vs.
13. Steve Torrence, 3.880, 307.58; 5. Morgan Lucas, 3.848, 312.50 vs.
12. Doug Kalitta, 3.878, 310.48; 6. Larry Dixon, 3.858, 309.27 vs. 11.
Doug Herbert, 3.870, 307.72; 7. J.R. Todd, 3.860, 312.86 vs. 10. Cory
McClenathan, 3.869, 313.80; 8. David Grubnic, 3.862, 302.69 vs. 9.
Hillary Will, 3.866, 313.37. Did Not Qualify: 17. Ron Smith, 4.377,
267.53; 18. Craig Smith, 5.972, 180.16.

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the
Mopar Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol at Grand Bend Motorplex,
the sixth of 10 events in the 2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing
Series.  Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Bruce Litton, 4.743 seconds, 302.75 mph  vs. 5.
Spencer Massey, 4.897, 300.40; 2. Terry McMillen, 4.764, 311.85  vs. 6.
Kevin Jones, 4.966, 295.21; 3. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.823, 284.27  vs. 7.
Mitch King, 4.985, 284.99; 4. Todd Paton, 4.837, 295.40  vs. 8. Mike
Strasburg, 5.050, 277.43.

Today's classic video moment comes from the 1989 IHRA AEA All-Pro Winter Nationals in Darlington, SC. In this video, you'll see the very first win by dairy farmer Mark Thomas as well as Tom "Mongoose" McEwen's classic 1957 Chevy Funny Car. This event marks the first in the post-Billy Meyer era. Also featured in this You Tube video is a clip on the up-and-coming Top Sportsman Quick Eight program which would later spawn Pro Modified.

IHRA President Aaron Polburn sports the hottest decal of the week --
U.P.S. However, this U.P.S. doesn't symbolize United Parcel Service.
This one represents United Pro Stocks in a laughable tribute to the
Edmonton Pro Stock boycott. From what we hear many of the Pro Stock
cars have them as well as a few IHRA officials. We have only one
question. Larry Morgan is the President?

CONNOLLY, HIGHT, SCHUMACHER POWER TO PROVISIONAL NO. 1s AS QUALIFYING ENTERS FINAL SESSIONS

Dave Connolly leads Pro Stock qualifying and continues to fight for a berth within the top ten points earners.

Dave
Connolly entered the 21st annual Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals
near Seattle 53 points below the Top 10 cut in the points – the line
that in just one month will separate those who will battle for the 2008
world championship titles from those who won’t.

Since his return at the Atlanta event in April, Connolly has hunted his
way up the point standings with one win in three final-round
appearances and it appears he’s not ready to stop. Connolly turned in a
blistering track-record time of 6.573 seconds at 209.49 mph behind the
wheel of his Charter Communications Chevy Cobalt to lead the Pro Stock
field into Saturday’s final qualifying sessions Friday at Pacific
Raceways, where Tony Schumacher and Robert Hight also were qualifying
leaders in their respective categories.

Robert Patrick had a vision in his mind and couldn’t rest until he made
the dream reality. The defending IHRA Pro Stock World Champion from
Petersburg, Va., wanted to be the first driver to win an ADRL Extreme
Pro Stock event. On Saturday night he made it happen.
 
Patrick outlasted a 16-car field of mountain motor Pro Stocks to win
the ADRL 1-800 GO-GUARD National Guard U.S. Drags in Budds Creek, Md.
This victory marked his most heralded triumph at Maryland International
Raceway since winning the special $20,000-to-win IHRA Torco Pro Stock
Showdown in 2006.

It’s been a long time since this happened but Tim Wilkerson will head into Saturday not qualified.  Even

Tim Wilkerson heads into Saturday's final day of qualifying on the outside looking in.

though Wilkerson’s Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevrolet Impala SS made two
consistent runs which put him in the No. 13 spot tonight at the
Schuck’s Auto Supply Nationals; he fell under the new qualifying ruling
where only the top 12 cars qualify on Friday.  Wilkerson and the other
non-qualifiers will have their Friday runs thrown out and must start
from scratch on Saturday.

Dave Connolly led the Pro Stock field during the first day at Pacific Raceways.

Dave Connolly is hard at work making up for lost time.

The 25-year-old Connolly, a resident of Charlotte, N.C., drove his Chevy Cobalt to a track-record and
career-best elapsed time of 6.573 seconds at 209.49 mph to take the
provisional pole with two rounds of qualifying remaining on Saturday.

"Last year we ended up winning this race after the rain delay and wound
up setting the track record in the finals," Connolly said. "We came out
today, reset the record in Q1 and then reset it again in Q2. Seattle
has been excellent to us and we're on a chase to make the top 10 and
hopefully that Countdown to One. We missed the first five races of the
season, so we have our work cut out for us.