2010 NHRA WINTERNATIONALS - EVENT RESULTS
Mon, 2010-02-15 04:50
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SUNDAY FINAL RESULTS - FORCE, DIXON, EDWARDS HEADLINE PRO WINNERS AT 50TH WINTERNATIONALS
On a weekend in which NHRA paid tribute to its rich history during the 50th running of the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals, NHRA legend John Force turned back the clock himself by winning for the first time in a year-and-a-half.
The other winners at the season-opening event in the 23-race NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season were Larry Dixon (Top Fuel) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock). All three final rounds featured drivers who ranked in the top-10 on the all-time wins lists in their respective classes.
The holeshot win for Force (4.124 at 298.67 to Capps’ 4.123 at 305.08), who had a .016 advantage (.057 to .073) on the tree, was the NHRA-record 127th in his legendary career, but his first in 40 races dating back to Topeka, 2008.
“I’ve got a good race car and a good brain trust,” said Force, who kept Capps (29 FC wins) from tying Kenny Bernstein (30 FC wins) for fourth place on the all-time Funny Car wins list. “Then you start to think it’s me and maybe I’m not a good driver. I came out here this weekend with the right attitude to get in the fight and walked out of here with a win.”
Force, the 14-time champion, is in first place for the first time since Nov. 12, 2006, the last day of the 2006 season when he celebrated the last of his 14 championships in his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang.
“I read in the paper that 60 is the new 40, and I’m going with that. I am just a guy that won a race with a great team around me. Sometimes a little bit of change gets people moving again and this team is moving again. I am proud that I could win this 50th (Winternationals),” Force said.
In Top Fuel, Dixon powered his Al-Anabi dragster to a 3.808 at 316.60 for a narrow win over defending Winternationals champion Doug Kalitta and the Kalitta Motorsports dragster team (3.848 at 310.05).
“It’s beyond words,” said Dixon, who notched his 49th career win, tying him for eighth place on the all-time NHRA wins list with Don “The Snake” Prudhomme. “With all the hype going into this race for the 50th it feels good to just have a shot at it. Then to actually do it, I really feel blessed to be in this car and with this team.”
The win was the fifth for Dixon at storied Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (four Winternationals, one Finals), the track he grew up and the one where his father Larry won the Winternationals Top Fuel title in 1970. The Dixons are one of two father-son tandems to have won Winternationals Top Fuel titles (Connie and Scott Kalitta).
Dixon went through quite a gauntlet for the win, defeating Steve Chrisman in the opening round before eliminating Brandon Bernstein in the quarters and six-time defending champion Tony Schumacher in semis.
In Pro Stock, defending champion Edwards left the line second in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP, but he made up the difference with a booming 6.577 at 210.47 (to Anderson’s 6.618 at 209.62 in his Summit Racing Pontiac) to win by a final margin of .003 at the stripe.
“It’s a major win,” Edwards said. “What a way to start the season. My team is outrageously dependable and they make the car go down the track. We are real fortunate to have what we have.”
The NHRA Full Throttle Series continues next weekend, Feb. 19-21, in Phoenix with the 26th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.
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SATURDAY - McCLENATHAN TAKES TOP SPOT IN TOP FUEL; HIGHT, EDWARDS ALSO AT TOP OF CATEGORIES AT POMONA
Perennial bridesmaid Cory McClenathan stated his championship case with a stout 3.787-second pass in the next-to-last pair Saturday night to claim the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel at the season-opening Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline.
The other No. 1 qualifiers at the 50th annual Winternationals were Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock), each of whom celebrated his first career NHRA Full Throttle Series championship just three months earlier at this track when the curtain fell on the 2009 season.
McClenathan (FRAM dragster) was followed in the final pair by defending champion Tony Schumacher (U.S. Army) and runner-up Larry Dixon (Al-Anabi) and his run held up by a thousandth-of-a-second when Dixon just missed with his time of 3.788.
“It backs up what you say,” McClenathan said. “We need to go in with the attitude that we need to take it, no one’s going to give it to us. Looking over my shoulder, yeah, we’ve got some tough competitors, but it’s nice to go out and do what we did tonight.”
McClenathan, who has 10 top-five finishes in his career and four second-place finishes, posted a top speed of at 320.05 mph on the No. 1 qualifying pass, the 34th of his career and third at the Winternationals.
“Todd (Okuhara, crew chief) came back and said it’s all or nothing. It’s going to go all the way, or 60 feet, and by the time we got to half track I knew we were on a good run,” said McClenathan, who will meet No. 16 Steve Faria in the first round of eliminations Sunday.
Hight set the pace in the first qualifying session on Thursday with a 4.059-second pass at a track-record 312.86 mph in his Auto Club Ford Mustang and that time held up on Saturday. It was the 33rd No. 1 of his career and second-straight at the Winternationals.
“I didn’t think it would hold,” Hight said. “But what is awesome, we got one good run in today … a (4.)10 and ours was backed off so that’s what’s really going to win this race (Sunday), runs like that.”
Hight will meet 2008 Funny Car champ Cruz Pedregon in the first round of eliminations on Sunday in a matchup of the last two NHRA Full Throttle Series champions.
“There are no easy rounds,” Hight said. “I’m racing 2008 Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon in the first round and we know he is always tough.”
In Pro Stock, defending Full Throttle Series champion Edwards picked up where he left off in 2009 with his 10th straight No. 1 qualifier, claiming the position with his 6.578 at 211.00 in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP in the early session Saturday.
“It does (feel good). My guys did an awesome job today, made some awesome calls, made a really, really good run this morning,” said Edwards, who will meet No. 16 qualifier Justin Humphreys and the RaceRedi Motorsports Ford Mustang team in the first round.
The 50th annual Winternationals begins Sunday at 11 with Top Fuel, followed by Funny Car and Pro Stock.
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First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 50th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the first of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Cory McClenathan, 3.787 seconds, 320.05 mph vs. 16. Steve Faria, 5.610, 121.18; 2. Larry Dixon, 3.788, 317.79 vs. 15. Steven Chrisman, 4.604, 267.43; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.801, 320.05 vs. 14. Chris Karamesines, 4.035, 308.00; 4. Doug Kalitta, 3.822, 317.72 vs. 13. Terry McMillen, 3.955, 303.64; 5. Morgan Lucas, 3.823, 316.90 vs. 12. Troy Buff, 3.950, 294.05; 6. Steve Torrence, 3.844, 314.17 vs. 11. Antron Brown, 3.869, 313.73; 7. Thomas Nataas, 3.844, 310.34 vs. 10. Brandon Bernstein, 3.863, 312.57; 8. Shawn Langdon, 3.847, 309.98 vs. 9. David Grubnic, 3.849, 319.60.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Andy Carter, 6.093, 218.34; 18. Mike Strasburg, 7.791, 96.14.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.059, 312.86 vs. 16. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.300, 301.20; 2. Del Worsham, Solara, 4.062, 312.35 vs. 15. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.200, 281.13; 3. John Force, Mustang, 4.066, 310.41 vs. 14. Bob Bode, Chevy Impala SS, 4.184, 264.49; 4. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.075, 306.88 vs. 13. Melanie Troxel, Dodge Charger, 4.180, 304.67; 5. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.091, 308.64 vs. 12. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.167, 293.60; 6. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.093, 310.70 vs. 11. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.167, 298.73; 7. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.101, 310.91 vs. 10. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.151, 307.58; 8. Jim Head, Solara, 4.131, 304.74 vs. 9. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.144, 301.54. Did Not Qualify: 17. Terry Haddock, 4.652, 257.09; 18. Jeff Diehl, 5.869, 283.91; 19. Paul Lee, 8.165, 278.58.
Pro Stock -- 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.578, 211.00 vs. 16. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.650, 209.10; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.591, 210.08 vs. 15. Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.645, 207.88; 3. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.595, 209.75 vs. 14. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.642, 208.23; 4. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.595, 209.56 vs. 13. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.631, 208.26; 5. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.603, 209.36 vs. 12. Johnny Gray, GXP, 6.627, 208.52; 6. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.608, 209.82 vs. 11. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.627, 209.39; 7. Vinnie Deceglie, Avenger, 6.613, 209.23 vs. 10. Ronnie Humphrey, GXP, 6.619, 209.75; 8. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.617, 209.30 vs. 9. Jason Line, GXP, 6.619, 210.24. Did Not Qualify: 17. Bob Yonke, 6.654, 208.14; 18. Danny Gruninger, 6.657, 207.62; 19. Warren Johnson, 6.659, 208.36; 20. V. Gaines, 6.661, 207.82; 21. Rickie Jones, 7.859, 129.29; 22. John Nobile, 14.265, 207.82; 23. Gordie Rivera, broke.
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FRIDAY - DIXON JOINS DEFENDING CHAMPIONS HIGHT, EDWARDS ON PROVISIONAL POLE
Larry Dixon joined Robert Hight and Mike Edwards as the provisional pole-sitters after the second of three days of qualifying at the season-opening Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline on Friday.
Dixon assumed the provisional No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel from Thursday pace-setter Cory McClenathan with a 3.795-second pass at 317.79 mph. The run all but ensures that Dixon will be in the show a year after the eventual Series runner-up DNQ’d at last year’s rain-soaked Winternationals, his first race for Al-Anabi Racing.
“We’re going to race this year so I’m thrilled about that…” Dixon said. “Today’s probably more realistic of what we’ll see during the weekend. Alan (Johnson) and Jason (McCulloch) made the adjustments (after the car smoked the tires Thursday) and it stuck so that’s nice.”
In Funny Car, defending Full Throttle Series champion Hight set the pace on Thursday with a 4.059 at a track-record 312.86 mph in his Auto Club Ford Mustang and that time held up on Friday. It would be the 33rd No. 1 of his career and second-straight at the Winternationals.
But the run of the day in Funny Car on Friday belonged to John Force, whose category-best 4.066 at 310.41 in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang vaulted the 14-time champion up to No. 3 on the ladder behind Hight and Del Worsham (4.062).
“It’s just exciting always to be back. We’ve worked real hard over the winter,” Force said. “I’m excited (Austin) Coil, (Mike Neff) and Bernie (Fedderly) are working together. Coil is loving it having a young kid with a lot of energy running around.”
In Pro Stock, defending Full Throttle Series champion Edwards’ 6.580 at 210.47 from Thursday in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP also remained on top. This would be Edwards’ 10th straight No. 1 dating back to 2009 when he finished with nine straight No. 1s.
“(Saturday) morning possibly could be a pretty good run,” Edwards said. “But the hotter it gets, it definitely affects the track. You just have to make an adjustment and race the track.”
Qualifying at the historic 50th running of the Winternationals concludes with the third and fourth sessions on Saturday when the fields will be set for Sunday’s final eliminations.
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 50th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, first of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 3.795 seconds, 317.79 mph; 2. Cory McClenathan, 3.809, 320.05; 3. Morgan Lucas, 3.823, 316.90; 4. Tony Schumacher, 3.835, 317.57; 5. Shawn Langdon, 3.847, 309.98; 6. David Grubnic, 3.854, 319.60; 7. Antron Brown, 3.869, 313.73; 8. Doug Kalitta, 3.876, 313.44; 9. Thomas Nataas, 3.880, 306.33; 10. Brandon Bernstein, 3.899, 310.98; 11. Steve Torrence, 3.929, 305.42; 12. Troy Buff, 3.950, 286.01. Not Qualified: 13. Chris Karamesines, 3.997, 308.00; 14. Steven Chrisman, 4.239, 267.43; 15. Andy Carter, 4.260, 218.34; 16. Mike Strasburg, 7.622, 91.96; 17. Terry McMillen, 8.674, 84.24.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.059, 312.86; 2. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.062, 312.35; 3. John Force, Mustang, 4.066, 310.41; 4. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.093, 310.70; 5. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.101, 310.91; 6. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.109, 305.01; 7. Jim Head, Solara, 4.166, 304.74; 8. Gary Densham, Chevy Impala, 4.167, 293.60; 9. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.167, 289.76; 10. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.182, 294.43; 11. Bob Bode, Chevy Impala SS, 4.184, 264.49; 12. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.189, 305.01. Not Qualified: 13. Bob Tasca III, 4.190, 299.26; 14. Cruz Pedregon, 4.231, 301.20; 15. Melanie Troxel, 4.296, 285.95; 16. Jeff Diehl, 4.299, 283.91; 17. Paul Lee, 4.327, 278.58; 18. Terry Haddock, 4.422, 257.09; 19. Jeff Arend, 4.712, 175.02.
Pro Stock -- 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.580, 210.47; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.591, 209.59; 3. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.595, 209.75; 4. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.603, 209.36; 5. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.611, 209.56; 6. Vinnie Deceglie, Avenger, 6.613, 209.23; 7. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.617, 209.30; 8. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.623, 209.62; 9. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.631, 208.26; 10. Jason Line, GXP, 6.640, 209.79; 11. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.642, 208.23; 12. Ronnie Humphrey, GXP, 6.644, 209.26. Not Qualified: 13. V. Gaines, 6.647, 207.82; 14. Kurt Johnson, 6.654, 208.71; 15. John Nobile, 6.660, 207.82; 16. Warren Johnson, 6.662, 208.10; 17. Larry Morgan, 6.674, 207.72; 18. Bob Yonke, 6.675, 208.01; 19. Justin Humphreys, 6.678, 207.94; 20. Johnny Gray, 6.681, 208.14; 21. Danny Gruninger, 6.681, 207.18; 22. Gordie Rivera, 6.730, 204.54; 23. Rickie Jones, 8.395, 116.98.
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THURSDAY - DEFENDING CHAMPIONS HIGHT, EDWARDS OPEN 2010 WITH PROVISIONAL POLES
Defending champions Robert Hight and Mike Edwards picked up right where they left off with pace-setting runs on the first day of qualifying at the season-opening Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline on Thursday.
Joining Hight (Funny Car) and Edwards (Pro Stock) was Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan, who rounded out the provisional qualifying leaders through the first of four rounds of qualifying at the historic 50th running of the Winternationals.
The Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona is the first of 17 races in NHRA’s regular season, the Countdown to 10.
In Top Fuel, McClenathan claimed the provisional pole in his FRAM dragster with a 3.809-second pass at 320.05 mph. McClenathan had to wait out the final pass of the day that saw six-time defending champion Tony Schumacher’s U.S. Army dragster go up in flames and 2009 runner-up Larry Dixon smoke the tires on his Al-Anabi dragster.“I can guarantee you one thing: it won’t stick,” said McClenathan, seeking his 34th career No. 1. “But it’s nice to come out, we made a commitment to come here with a better power package than we left here (at the season-ending Auto Club Finals in November) and we were 282 at half-track, so that feels good.”
McClenathan, who finished fourth last year and second in points four other times in his career, says he’s ready to mount a challenge for the title this year from the start in his Don Schumacher Racing-owned car.
“We plan on making noise early,” McClenathan said. “I’m tired of waiting, lurking; we’re going to try to go toe-to-toe with these guys from day one.”
In Funny Car, defending Full Throttle Series champion Robert Hight set the pace in his Auto Club Ford Mustang with a 4.059-second pass at a track-record 312.86 mph. If the performance holds through Saturday’s qualifying, it would be the 33rd No. 1 of his career and second straight at the Winternationals.
“It’s definitely good to get off on a nice foot,” Hight said. “I figured it would run an oh-five (4.05). That’s what we ran in Phoenix (in testing) and we didn’t change anything.”
Hight was in the last pair of the session with teammate Ashley Force Hood and his pace-setting run moved him around Del Worsham and the Al-Anabi Toyota team.
“Definitely feel bad for my buddy, Del Worsham, on his 40th birthday, bumping him,” Hight said.
In Pro Stock, defending Full Throttle Series champion Edwards set the early pace in his brand new Interstate Batteries Pontiac with a 6.580 at 210.47. This would be Edwards’ 10th straight No. 1 dating back to 2009 when he finished the season with nine-straight No. 1s.
“We did start off good, that’s for sure,” Edwards said. “We’re happy with our start, we’re ready to start the new season and hopefully we can build on this first run and get better as the weekend progresses.”
Qualifying resumes with Round 2 on Friday and Rounds 3 and 4 on Saturday before the fields are set for Sunday’s final eliminations.
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Results Thursday after the first of four rounds of qualifying for the 50th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, first of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Friday and Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Cory McClenathan, 3.809 seconds, 320.05 mph; 2. Shawn Langdon, 3.847, 309.98; 3. Thomas Nataas, 3.880, 306.33; 4. Troy Buff, 3.950, 286.01; 5. David Grubnic, 3.954, 258.52; 6. Chris Karamesines, 3.997, 308.00; 7. Tony Schumacher, 4.056, 206.99; 8. Doug Kalitta, 4.254, 265.95; 9. Steve Torrence, 6.124, 105.23; 10. Larry Dixon, 7.439, 112.87; 11. Mike Strasburg, 7.688, 85.52; 12. Antron Brown, 8.361, 76.03. Not Qualified: 13. Morgan Lucas, 8.580, 59.18; 14. Terry McMillen, 8.674, 80.00; 15. Brandon Bernstein, 9.402, 76.45; 16. Andy Carter, 10.485, 72.63; 17. Steven Chrisman, 11.936, 75.25.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.059, 312.86; 2. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.062, 312.35; 3. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.093, 310.70; 4. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.101, 310.91; 5. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.109, 305.01; 6. Jim Head, Solara, 4.166, 304.74; 7. Gary Densham, Chevy Impala, 4.167, 293.60; 8. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.182, 294.43; 9. Bob Bode, Chevy Impala SS, 4.184, 264.49; 10. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.190, 299.26; 11. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.296, 285.95; 12. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.377, 270.81. Not Qualified: 13. Jeff Arend, 4.712, 175.02; 14. Cruz Pedregon, 5.508, 138.80; 15. Ron Capps, 8.725, 75.85; 16. Terry Haddock, 11.554, 73.27; 17. Paul Lee, broke; 18. John Force, broke.
Pro Stock -- 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.580, 210.47; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.591, 209.59; 3. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.595, 209.75; 4. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.603, 209.23; 5. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.611, 209.39; 6. Vinnie Deceglie, Avenger, 6.613, 209.23; 7. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.617, 209.23; 8. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.631, 208.26; 9. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.642, 208.23; 10. Ronnie Humphrey, GXP, 6.644, 209.26; 11. V. Gaines, Avenger, 6.647, 207.82; 12. John Nobile, Ford Mustang, 6.660, 207.82. Not Qualified: 13. Warren Johnson, 6.662, 208.10; 14. Bob Yonke, 6.676, 205.91; 15. Danny Gruninger, 6.697, 207.18; 16. Larry Morgan, 6.707, 207.72; 17. Kurt Johnson, 6.730, 207.50; 18. Gordie Rivera, 6.730, 204.54; 19. Jason Line, 7.235, 149.03; 20. Johnny Gray, 9.483, 163.57; 21. Rickie Jones, 12.807, 69.23; 22. Greg Anderson, 13.511, 64.16; 23. Justin Humphreys, 24.106, 34.75.
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