2010 NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS - EVENT RESULTS
Sun, 2010-05-16 21:20
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SUNDAY FINAL - DIXON, HIGHT, COUGHLIN AND HINES WIN SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS AT ATLANTA DRAGWAY
Larry Dixon tied Joe Amato for second on the NHRA Top Fuel wins list by racing to his 52nd career victory Sunday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.Robert Hight, Jeg Coughlin and Andrew Hines also were winners in their respective categories at the eighth of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
Dixon powered his Al-Anabi Racing dragster to his fourth win of the season and increased his series lead by outrunning Brandon Bernstein in the final round. Dixon covered the race distance in 3.913 seconds at 311.49 mph, but ultimately didn’t need the performance as Bernstein suffered a rare red-light start in his Copart/Lucas Oil dragster.
"[Brandon] took a shot at the Tree and went .003 red, but if he goes .003 green he has a chance to win the race," Dixon said. "He has a good car and if you get eight-hundredths on a guy, there's not eight-hundredths between our cars. We went up there with what we thought the track could take, and you have to hope it's enough, and today it was. The car was flawless; we had a really tight package. To have seven runs between an .86 and a .91 that's pretty stout, and then to have an .82 for the pole just adds to it.”
Dixon beat Steve Torrence, T.J. Zizzo and rival Tony Schumacher in earlier rounds for his fourth Atlanta Dragway win. A strong student of NHRA history, Dixon is humble about tying five-time world champ Amato, a legendary figure in the sport.
"I feel the same way [about tying Amato] as I do against the other people I grew up looking up to: Unworthy,” said Dixon, who now leads second place Cory McClenathan by 112 points as he works on earning his third world championship title. “To be able to reach a number that [Amato] got ... well, I'm a few championships behind him still. The guys I looked up to didn’t get 23 chances a year to win."
Defending Funny Car world champ Hight earned his second consecutive victory of the season, holding off recent Atlanta Dragway dominator Ashley Force Hood in the final round. Hight posted a winning run of 4.185 at 298.01 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang, while Force Hood’s Castrol GTX Mustang trailed with a 4.232 at 297.48 in her third-consecutive event final."No matter what, we couldn't lose, it was going to be a Force win," said Hight, who beat Melanie Troxel, Tim Wilkerson and defending event winner Jack Beckman to advance to the final. "But to leave here 1-2-3 in points is pretty big right now, especially this early in the season. We were real happy with the way we finished last season and were looking forward to this year, but like last year we struggled again. We didn’t get it turned around until Sunday morning in Madison when Jimmy Prock made a wholesale change to the car and we haven't looked back since. This Ford Mustang has been unbelievable all weekend. Jimmy definitely has a handle on the car; to run .18, .18, .19, and .18 again, that's unheard-of in these fuel cars."
John Force maintained his series lead despite a second round loss to the eventual runner-up. Force Hood and Hight are second and third in the standings respectively.
Coughlin became the fourth Pro Stock racer in NHRA history and the ninth in the Full Throttle Series to earn 50 victories when he outran Rickie Jones in the final round. Coughlin took his second win at Atlanta Dragway with a performance of 6.659 at 207.21 in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to hold off the hard-charging Elite Motorsports Pontiac GXP of the 22-year-old Jones, who finished in 6.686 at 206.35."I was fortunate to eclipse the 50-win mark – including my Lucas Oil wins – a few years ago and thought I was done with 50 but was reminded here lately of the next plateau,” said Coughlin, who outran Ronnie Humphrey, V. Gaines and top qualifier Allen Johnson in earlier rounds. “To celebrate it here, in JEGS' 50th anniversary year, I'm very happy."
Coughlin said he was ready for the quick-reacting Jones in the final. Jones used a series of holeshot starts to upset series points leader Mike Edwards in the first round, three-time world champ Greg Anderson in the quarterfinals and Johnny Gray in the semis to advance to his second career final.
"Rickie used to come to the ropes when he was 11 or 12 years old and wanted to hit the practice 'Tree against me and he's been telling me for years he's coming after us," Coughlin said. "It's neat to see him growing and getting to do what he loves to do, so congratulations to him. He had a great day.”
Coughlin moved to third in the point standings with the win, behind leader Edwards and second place Johnson.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, three-time world champ Hines raced to the victory over defending series champ Hector Arana. Hines earned his second win of the season and 20th of his career with a 6.968 at 190.24 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson in the final, while Arana’s Lucas Oil Buell slowed with a 7.047 at 188.12.
Hines raced to early round wins over Mike Berry, Craig Treble and David Hope.
“This is about as good as it gets,” Hines said. “It was a good, clean race in the final. I had to push it in the final. I knew Hector was strong. He had been running good all weekend, and he qualified No. 1, so I held onto the clutch lever with just the lightest amount of pressure that I could, and I was .006. That was a little closer than I wanted it, but I’ll take it. He’s a tough competitor. He’s the world champ from last year, and it doesn’t put a bigger smile on our face than to beat him.”
With his third runner-up finish of the season, Arana maintained his series lead over Matt Smith and Hines, who moved to third overall with the win.
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues next weekend in Kansas with the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.
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SATURDAY - DIXON, FORCE HOOD, JOHNSON AND ARANA ARE TOP QUALIFIERS AT SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Larry Dixon raced to the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel Saturday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
Ashley Force Hood, Allen Johnson and Hector Arana also will lead their respective categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Dixon’s Al-Anabi Racing dragster was the quickest in each of four qualifying sessions and as a result the series points leader claimed his second No. 1 position of the season and 42nd of his career with a performance of 3.822 seconds at 316.08 mph. The three-time Atlanta Dragway winner will face No. 16 qualifier Steve Torrence in the first round.
"We got down both sessions, so hopefully we have the same conditions tomorrow because that's what we're set up for," said Dixon, who collected 12 bonus points in qualifying to bolster his lead. "This is the first time we've been low every session since I've [been with the Al-Anabi team], and with the bonus points for qualifying, that adds up fast when you can do that.”
Doug Kalitta was second in his Kalitta Air dragster with a 3.849 at 318.09 and Brandon Bernstein’s Copart/Lucas Oil dragster improved to third, posting a 3.913 at 312.21.
Force Hood took her first No. 1 position of the season in Funny Car with a 4.104 at 304.60 in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. It was the 10th No. 1 of her career, and second consecutive top spot at this race. The 2008 winner of this event and runner-up here last year, Force Hood will try to secure her first win of the season when she meets Jeff Diehl in the opening round."This is definitely one track where we've done well for whatever reason," Force Hood said. "It's a tricky track, so it's surprising that this is somewhere we've had a lot of success, but my tuners, Ron [Douglas] and Guido [Dean Antonelli] have it figured out and we do well here even when we struggle. We gained a few points. We haven’t run that great, but it was good enough to stay first."
Defending world champ and Force Hood teammate Robert Hight was second in his Auto Club Ford Mustang with a 4.124 at 305.98. Ron Capps was third with a 4.147 at 303.71 in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger.
In Pro Stock, Johnson claimed his first No. 1 position of the season and eighth of his career with a 6.634 at 208.23 in his Team Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Avenger.
"The track was really hot and the air conditions were worse,” said Johnson, who will face St. Louis winner Warren Johnson in the first round. “We sort of tested it that last run in case the track conditions get that hot again tomorrow. It didn't like what we did, so we definitely learned not to go there.”
Series points leader Mike Edwards had the two quickest Pro Stock runs of the day but wasn’t quick enough to move around Johnson’s quick time from Friday. He holds down the second position with a 6.641 at 208.07 in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP.
"We’re still right there with (Mike), but he's still bad to the bone so we have to do our job and be perfect," Johnson said. “If we both do our jobs tomorrow, it will come down to me and him in the final, and then it will be down to lane choice and who can get his foot off the clutch first."
Hector Arana raced to the No. 1 spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a 6.913 at 193.96 on his Lucas Oil Buell and bumped Friday leader Matt Smith to fourth overall. It is Arana’s third No. 1 of the season and 12th of his career. Arana will face Wesley Wells in the first round.
"That was amazing," Arana said. "I knew I could run those numbers if I could leave the starting line. The bike felt smooth and when it was still carrying the front wheel in second gear I knew I was on a good run. We were just hoping to stay consistent. I knew I had a little more, but the .91 surprised me. I'll take it."
David Hope was second on his Mohegan Sun Buell with a 6.924 at 192.19 and Andrew Hines was third on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a 6.938 at 191.92.
First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 30th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, the eighth 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. Larry Dixon, 3.822 seconds, 316.08 mph vs. 16. Steve Torrence, 4.395, 266.11; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.849, 318.09 vs. 15. Terry Haddock, 4.227, 274.55; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 3.913, 312.21 vs. 14. Terry McMillen, 4.151, 287.66; 4. Cory McClenathan, 3.924, 308.35 vs. 13. Shawn Langdon, 4.021, 304.25; 5. Tony Schumacher, 3.927, 310.41 vs. 12. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.011, 302.82; 6. Antron Brown, 3.940, 304.39 vs. 11. Pat Dakin, 4.008, 298.80; 7. Morgan Lucas, 3.960, 303.03 vs. 10. David Grubnic, 4.007, 305.70; 8. Bob Vandergriff, 3.961, 289.45 vs. 9. T.J. Zizzo, 3.980, 296.31.
Funny Car -- 1. Ashley Force Hood, Ford Mustang, 4.104, 304.60 vs. 16. Jeff Diehl, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.523, 241.84; 2. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.124, 305.98 vs. 15. Melanie Troxel, Dodge Charger, 4.318, 294.56; 3. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.147, 303.71 vs. 14. Jim Head, Toyota Solara, 4.290, 291.95; 4. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.151, 299.73 vs. 13. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.274, 290.44; 5. Del Worsham, Solara, 4.153, 302.75 vs. 12. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.255, 289.01; 6. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.168, 297.35 vs. 11. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.248, 293.03; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.210, 297.35 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.242, 287.35; 8. Bob Bode, Chevy Impala SS, 4.217, 296.63 vs. 9. John Force, Mustang, 4.229, 291.45. Did Not Qualify: 17. Paul Lee, 4.623, 285.71.
Pro Stock -- 1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.634, 208.23 vs. 16. Warren Johnson, Pontiac GXP, 6.696, 206.92; 2. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.641, 208.07 vs. 15. Rickie Jones, GXP, 6.686, 206.16; 3. Johnny Gray, GXP, 6.652, 207.34 vs. 14. Bob Yonke, GXP, 6.684, 206.39; 4. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.659, 207.88 vs. 13. Ronnie Humphrey, GXP, 6.684, 206.39; 5. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.659, 207.08 vs. 12. V. Gaines, Avenger, 6.682, 206.45; 6. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.659, 206.73 vs. 11. Jason Line, GXP, 6.674, 206.70; 7. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.667, 207.08 vs. 10. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.672, 206.32; 8. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.669, 206.64 vs. 9. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.672, 206.70. Did Not Qualify: 17. Danny Gruninger, 6.700, 205.22; 18. Rodger Brogdon, 6.701, 206.80; 19. Erica Enders, 6.708, 206.20; 20. Larry Morgan, 6.733, 204.88; 21. Jimmy Alund, 6.736, 205.76; 22. John Nobile, 6.759, 205.26; 23. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.896, 199.91.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.913, 193.96 vs. 16. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.174, 186.67; 2. David Hope, Buell, 6.924, 192.19 vs. 15. Gary Moreno, Buell, 7.148, 185.51; 3. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.938, 191.92 vs. 14. Mike Berry, Buell, 7.137, 187.34; 4. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.940, 191.87 vs. 13. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.056, 190.38; 5. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.972, 190.38 vs. 12. Angie Smith, Buell, 7.040, 187.36; 6. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.976, 192.41 vs. 11. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.017, 190.35; 7. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 6.977, 194.24 vs. 10. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 7.008, 190.57; 8. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.993, 192.00 vs. 9. Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.998, 190.48. Did Not Qualify: 17. Darin McCurdy, 7.186, 185.18; 18. James Surber, 7.213, 186.02; 19. Joe DeSantis, 7.371, 183.00; 20. Junior Pippin, broke.
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SATURDAY - FINAL SESSION
SATURDAY - THIRD SESSION
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FRIDAY - FORCE HOOD, DIXON, JOHNSON AND SMITH LEAD QUALIFYING FRIDAY AT SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Ashley Force Hood raced to the qualifying lead in Funny Car Friday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals.
Larry Dixon, Allen Johnson and Matt Smith also were qualifying leaders at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Force Hood continued to have success at Atlanta Dragway, site of her milestone first career victory in 2008 and No. 1 qualifying effort and runner-up finish last year, by powering her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to a leading qualifying performance of 4.104 seconds at 304.60 mph.
“I thought for sure at least one or two cars would bump past us,” Force Hood said. “My Castrol GTX Mustang went right down there and didn’t have any problems. I thought for sure someone would beat me out of that spot. We are happy that we didn’t let this night session go by. We utilized it for our benefit. Tomorrow we’ll get to run at the back of the pack and you’ll have a little advantage. We still have to keep it (No.1 spot) thorough the race tomorrow. It will be pretty challenging to run that quick tomorrow during the day.”
Defending world champ Robert Hight was second in his Auto Club Mustang with a 4.124 at 305.98, while Ron Capps posted a 4.147 at 303.71 to take third in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger. Series points leader John Force sits 16th in his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Mustang with a 4.511 at 259.51 as his best effort of the day.
Dixon led Top Fuel qualifying with a performance of 3.822 at 316.08 in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster.
"We'll see if it sticks, but great job by Alan [Johnson] and Jason [McCulloch] and everyone on the Al-Anabi crew," Dixon said. “Alan and Jason both have been doing this a long time and it seems like they look at the conditions and challenge themselves to see how good they can run for those conditions. With the way the car has run in Vegas, where it was warm, and St. Louis where it was warm, I'm as happy as a guy can be about [our hot-weather] tune-up because even as hot as it is now, this is going to seem like Club Med. We're not really even into summer yet, but they seem like they have a handle on it for now."
Doug Kalitta held down the second spot in his Kalitta Air dragster with a 3.849 at 318.09, while Cory McClenathan was third in his FRAM dragster, posting a 3.924 at 308.35.
Johnson covered the distance in 6.634 at 208.23 in his Team Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Avenger to lead the Pro Stock category.
"We were confident we could go 6.64 and we needed to be perfect to get around Mike [Edwards] and we were,” Johnson said. “We tested here last month and Dad's [crew chief Roy Johnson] found some power lately. We've caught Mike, now we just need to get our car running down low as good as he does. Performance wise we're right with him or just ahead of him and if I can do my job and we can make the right decisions on the track, we'll be something to reckon with."
Defending world champ Edwards was second with a 6.641 at 208.07 in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP, while Johnny Gray was third in his NTB GXP with a 6.652 at 207.34.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Smith rode his Al-Anabi Racing Buell to the top spot with a performance of 6.940 at 191.87.
"We found some horsepower last weekend,” Smith said. "When I let the clutch out I knew it was a good run and by the time I hit third gear I knew it was good enough to be No. 1. It picked the front tire up in fourth gear, which these Buells don't usually do, so I was excited. It's going to be good tomorrow."
Defending world champ Hector Arana was second on his Lucas Oil Buell with a 6.941 at 193.79 and David Hope was third with a 6.955 at 192.19 on his Mohegan Sun Racing Buell.
Qualifying continues Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. for Sunday's 11 a.m. eliminations.
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 30th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, eighth 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, 3.822 seconds, 316.08 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.849, 318.09; 3. Cory McClenathan, 3.924, 308.35; 4. Antron Brown, 3.940, 275.84; 5. Morgan Lucas, 3.960, 303.03; 6. Bob Vandergriff, 3.961, 288.27; 7. Pat Dakin, 4.008, 298.80; 8. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.011, 302.82; 9. T.J. Zizzo, 4.011, 287.60; 10. Shawn Langdon, 4.056, 298.01; 11. Terry McMillen, 4.151, 287.66; 12. Brandon Bernstein, 4.325, 191.73. Not Qualified: 13. Tony Schumacher, 4.862, 149.10; 14. David Grubnic, 5.129, 136.29; 15. Steve Torrence, 9.187, 78.09.
Funny Car -- 1. Ashley Force Hood, Ford Mustang, 4.104, 304.60; 2. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.124, 305.98; 3. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.147, 303.71; 4. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.153, 302.75; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.167, 299.06; 6. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.168, 297.35; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.210, 297.35; 8. Bob Bode, Chevy Impala SS, 4.217, 296.63; 9. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.246, 285.77; 10. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.258, 293.03; 11. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.274, 288.46; 12. Jim Head, Solara, 4.290, 291.95. Not Qualified: 13. Paul Lee, 4.292, 285.71; 14. Tony Pedregon, 4.293, 274.22; 15. Melanie Troxel, 4.311, 294.56; 16. John Force, 4.511, 259.51; 17. Jeff Diehl, 5.637, 130.20.
Pro Stock -- 1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.634, 208.23; 2. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.641, 208.07; 3. Johnny Gray, GXP, 6.652, 207.34; 4. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.659, 207.88; 5. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.659, 207.08; 6. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.659, 206.73; 7. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.667, 207.08; 8. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.669, 206.64; 9. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.672, 206.70; 10. Steve Spiess, Cobalt, 6.672, 206.32; 11. V. Gaines, Avenger, 6.682, 206.45; 12. Rickie Jones, GXP, 6.686, 206.16. Not Qualified: 13. Bob Yonke, 6.694, 206.39; 14. Warren Johnson, 6.707, 206.73; 15. Ronnie Humphrey, 6.708, 206.39; 16. Erica Enders, 6.708, 206.20; 17. Jason Line, 6.718, 206.70; 18. Larry Morgan, 6.729, 204.73; 19. Danny Gruninger, 6.736, 205.22; 20. John Nobile, 6.762, 205.26; 21. Jimmy Alund, 6.771, 204.23; 22. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.895, 199.91; 23. Rodger Brogdon, 9.162, 102.71.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.940, 191.87; 2. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.941, 193.79; 3. David Hope, Buell, 6.955, 192.19; 4. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.976, 192.41; 5. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 6.987, 193.82; 6. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.994, 189.50; 7. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 7.008, 190.57; 8. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.009, 189.07; 9. Angie Smith, Buell, 7.040, 187.26; 10. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.073, 190.38; 11. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.091, 185.13; 12. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.105, 185.84. Not Qualified: 13. Mike Berry, 7.111, 187.34; 14. Steve Johnson, 7.113, 191.48; 15. Gary Moreno, 7.117, 185.51; 16. Wesley Wells, 7.161, 186.67; 17. James Surber, 7.197, 186.02; 18. Junior Pippin, 7.221, 181.89; 19. Joe DeSantis, 7.292, 182.48; 20. Darin McCurdy, 7.532, 185.18.
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PRO SESSION TWO
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PRO - SESSION ONE
SPORTSMAN RESULTS
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