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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - A FATHER'S DAY TO BE PROUD OF

PAPA FORCE EARN’S HIS PRESENT - The way John Force was huffing and puffing as he took a seat for the post-race press conference, you’d have thought he'd pushed his 25th anniversary Castrol GTX Mustang Funny Car down the drag strip.

While that was hardly the case, Force, in 4.317 seconds, earned his way into the winner’s circle on the NHRA Full Throttle Series for the fourth time in 2010 with a car running under full throttle power all day.

In the final round Force defeated Tim Wilkerson and reclaimed the Funny Car point lead.

“This means a lot to me,” said Force, who dedicated the win to his daughter Courtney, celebrating her 22nd birthday on Father’s Day. “The kids who put this together, I don’t know how they do it. I haven’t been home in almost five weeks.

“To come back to this race track where I didn’t have a prayer of winning, no sponsors … I just came in praying to the Lord I just make it. It made me proud to win today. I’m not quitting tomorrow but there might be a day when I can’t race again. For now, I’m working in the gym, running hard and exercising. I’m running with these tough kids. It’s drinking a lot of Full Throttle to keep my edge.”

Sunday’s victory at Bristol Dragway is his 130th career victory, placing him 33 ahead of the second place Warren Johnson.

In winning on Father’s Day, Force couldn’t help but recollect on a moment when he saw daughter Ashley Force Hood, down because her dad’s racing career had fallen on hard times. Admittedly, he was at a point where his confidence was low following a devastating crash which left him unable to walk unassisted.

“I remember seeing her pleading with her mom and anyone who would listen, ‘My dad can win,” Force said she was saying to anyone who would listen. “I kept trying to come back and come back, but now that I’m back, I can run up the stairs to the press room.”

This explains his need for oxygen … so much for a relaxing Father Day afternoon.

“I got back into my room last night after working out and did 100 pushups,” Force said. “My wife thought I was nuts. To a young man, that might not mean a lot. To an old man like me, it means everything. You can look in their eyes when they want to say, ‘old man, I’m gonna feel bad if I whip his ass.”

Force smiles and knows they’ve fallen into his trap.

“I say to myself, ‘thank you for thinking that, that’s what inspires me to get up and fight,” he continued. “This is a great sport. If I’m ever going to go this is how I want to go. I love it that much. On the side of my car, my grand baby had gotten me a sign which read, ‘Autumn’s Papa lives here.”

“Well she was kinda confused where to put it since I don’t live in the house with my wife, so we put it on my car. That’s where I live. I only go home to my washer and dryer. Father’s Day relaxation? It’s right here in this race car … that’s where I am the most relaxed.”

And then John Force, the 14-time champion and out of work comedian, caught his second wind.

IF MAMA AIN'T HAPPY - Revonda Johnson is proud of her boys, especially the 68 year old one.

Mrs. Johnson is the mother of Pro Stock ace Allen Johnson and wife to his engine builder Roy Johnson, a Stock eliminator semi-finalist at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn.

“They are awesome, both of them,” Mrs. Johnson proudly proclaimed, moments after both father and son were eliminated in the semi-finals. “They did a wonderful job, entertained the home body, entertained the family. It's been really special.”

Allen qualified No. 1 in Pro Stock and was almost a lock to reach the finals until his car drifted out of the groove forcing him to lift against a lesser favored Rickie Jones.

Roy qualified No. 2 in his first race in over 15 years and the first behind the wheel of a special Dodge Challenger given to him as a Christmas present. He fouled out in the semi-finals with a -.006 reaction.

“Allan is used to this, he does it two or three times a month,” she explained, providing the reasoning for her favoritism towards the spouse. “This is the first time Roy's done it in 30 years.”

She remembers the first time Roy mentioned he was going to race this event.

“He hoped he would be respectable,” she revealed. “He didn't hope to win. He just wanted to be respectable for the crowd.”

Being respectable was important to the veteran drag racer who had raced for decades in the sportsman ranks and gained the reputation as a feared Stock, Super Stock and later Comp eliminator racer.

“We always raced as a family. I brought my babies out here with bottles and we watched it all these years.”

Mama Johnson tried drag racing and while she raced a few times at the old Newport [TN.] drag strip, she preferred the supporting role.

“I drove one or two,” she explained. “But, I didn't enjoy it. I said, 'that's your thing. I've got to raise these kids.'”

Roy was admittedly overcome with the weekend’s experience.

“If I had to explain what I thought of this weekend, I wouldn’t know where to start,” said Roy Johnson. “I really, honestly never expected to do as well as I did this weekend. It hasn’t really sunk in how far we went in eliminations.”

One by one, in the semi-finals, son lost and about 30 minutes later father was eliminated.

“Seeing him go out broke my heart. Going out and red-lighting, broke my heart again,” Roy admitted. “But when you put this into perspective, qualifying No. 1 with the Pro Stock and No. 2 with the Stocker, and then all the way to the semis with both cars, I’m just proud of our team.”

Roy believes the next outing with the Stock eliminator car will be in September because he refuses to allow his racing to become a distraction for the team. Allen believes his dad’s racing is no distraction at all. In fact, the second generation Johnson believes his father racing serves as inspiration to the rest of the team.

“It brings so much joy to me to see Mom and Dad out here having a good time,” Allen said. “We have the whole family out here, my brother – he hasn’t been out to the races in almost 15 years. It’s been a joy for me. I don’t think his racing takes anything away from the Pro Stock effort.

“I think he acted more like he was 25 this weekend than he was 68.”

EDWARDS LEARNING HIS LESSONS - Mike Edwards is learning every aspect about being a champion.

On Sunday he learned another.

The mark of a true champion is to be able to win when you’re not supposed to. Even he will admit on Sunday, when final eliminations for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., were scheduled to begin – he believed his odds to win were a long shot at best.

Allen Johnson, a driver who proclaims Bristol Dragway as his home track, had claimed the No. 1 qualifying position in the most oppressive of conditions on Friday and Satuday and was on a collision course from the other side. Edwards merely did what he needed to do to ensure he had a spot in the last dance, going as far as recording low elapsed time.

And in the finals, after Rickie Jones fouled, Edwards found himself having to push in the clutch prematurely. Yet, he still won when he should have lost.

Edwards considers the weekend a lesson learned.

“I think when you are not your best and you can still come away with a victory that shows you are a champion,” Edwards admitted. “We really struggled, especially yesterday. We were really, really bad when we left here last night. We were scratching our heads and just made some wholesale changes this morning. We were moving around every session. I don't know what happened in the finals but I was very fortunate to win that race. I don't know what happened but it took an immediate right.”

He may be the champion but for much of race day, and the weekend for that matter, he spent much of his time looking in the rear view mirror.

“I've been looking in my rear view mirror since we came in the gate,” Edwards said. “When you've had the success that me and my team have had this year everybody is after you and rightfully so. When I was struggling years ago and everybody else was winning I was thinking the same thing. I just never thought I would have the opportunity for this to come through. I am just very fortunate, very blessed.”

One more blessing awaits Edwards should he win next weekend in Norwalk, Ohio. He will have swept the entire month of June in Pro Stock; not an easy feat.

“That would be totally awesome,” said Edwards, when asked what the feat would mean to him. “I don't even know what to say. We go to every race and do the same thing. We evaluate our conditions, the race track and we prepare ourselves the best we know how. That is how we look at every race we go to. It's great to win these races.

“I have an awesome team. Terry Adams, Josh Robinson, Alan Lindsey and John Phillips and of course, it all starts from the boss down – Roger Stull. Him and his wife, Ann, had the vision and the passion to put this program together.”

Right now he holds a 452-point lead over second place Allen Johnson.

“That's my team,” said Edwards. “That is how dedicated these guys are and how good they are. They never give up. When we don't make the perfect run or the best run we want to know why. We want to know why it did what it did. I think that is what makes you get better. We really concentrate on the things that do go wrong; just as much as the things that do go right. That is the crux of my team, we really concentrate on every bit of the run.”

They concentrate on why they don’t have a 453 point lead.

SCHUMACHER REACHES 100 TOP FUEL FINALS - When Tony Schumacher becomes a grandfather, he believes it will be the time he truly appreciates the numbers he’s attaining in the present.

On a Father’s Day afternoon in Bristol, Tenn., Schumacher became the first active Top Fuel racer to attain 100 final rounds of competition. He also won his 65th career title by stopping Brandon Bernstein in the final round of the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

“That was an amazing deal,” said Schumacher whose win also represented his fourth Bristol Dragway victory. “Me, Dixon, and Amato were all at 99, if I am correct. Only one guy is getting to 100 first. You can go to 130 or 150, I don't care, but nobody had ever gotten there. To be able to be the first to go to 100 finals in Top Fuel, just awesome. It puts so much pressure on you because you want it so bad.”

Then the conversation, most anytime Schumacher speaks, comes back to his rival Larry Dixon. Together the two are creating one of drag racing’s greatest rivalries in the modern era.

“The way Dixon is running you don't have that many shots to get to that thing,” admitted Schumacher. “To get there we had to win a couple races by inches. We're trading places in the finals. It's been a heck of a battle.”

In the first twelve races of 2010, Schumacher and Dixon have won ten of them. The best of those battles have been when the two were paired against each other.

“The wins, when were in the finals together, have been just so close,” Schumacher explained. “They've been amazing. They've been wins and losses for the century. When I retire and watch as a grandfather I will be going, 'that was an inch.' Two guys, what an awesome battle. I was talking outside, Snake and Mongoose had a great rivalry but Snake won everything. Us, this is the best I have ever seen. This is very similar to me and Kalitta when we battled years ago. It's fun to be part of it. I am happy as can be to be in the battle. At the end of the day, one of us may go out and win a championship. Right now we are in the middle of the season, in the middle of the best battle I have ever seen. I'll be happy when they announce the great rivalries they include our names.”

Right now, Dixon is way out in front in the battle for the championship this year, 128 points to be exact. The NHRA championship points for the first phase of the Countdown to 1 will reset headed into the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. If the standings remain the same, Schumacher will only be ten points out of first.

He’ll know exactly how Dixon will feel when the time comes.

“Larry is way out in front,” Schumacher said. “It's nice to make some of those up, but really it's great to pull ahead of the rest of the guys. Even if he finishes number one, they take all the points away. A couple years ago we were 330 points ahead and they just take them away; and they’re gone. It takes a special guy to forget about that.”

And for Schumacher, it takes a special man to understand his limitations in drag racing, especially on a day when you stand in the winner’s circle alongside of John Force, a 130-time winner.

“I was listening to Force talk out there,” explained Schumacher. “He is up to 130 wins. I'm halfway and I feel like we've done so much. I feel like I am never going to catch him. Every time I am on stage, so is he. It's amazing to think what he has accomplished. Mind-boggling.

“My stats won't ever equal that because I won't be racing in ten years. I've got to watch my son play baseball. I'll race for many more years, I don't know if it will be one, five or ten but I won't be out there racing for decades. I'm enjoying every moment. I'm enjoying what I do. I enjoy showing up.”

He also enjoys saving up those memories.

GREER HONORED AS LEGEND OF THUNDER VALLEY - Shirl Greer, the 1974 NHRA Funny Car World Champion, was inducted into the Legends of Thunder Valley Sunday at Bristol Dragway.

Greer, a longtime Kingsport, Tn. resident, died in March after an extended illness.

His sons, Van and Brian, were at the induction ceremony where Greer's 1974 “Chained Lightning” Mustang was on display. They spoke about what Bristol Dragway, a place where Shirl Greer won back-to-back IHRA All-American Nationals in 1974-75, meant to their father.

“This was home, where he always wanted to do good,” Brian Greer said. “At times, this was the hardest place for him to do good at. He always had a lot of love and support from fans and family here. This was his favorite place in the world to run a Funny Car.”

Van, still a Sportsman competitor at Bristol Dragway, dedicated his first win of the season to his late father. Along the side of the Ford Escort he was racing, Van applied “Tension” logos exactly like the ones Shirl Greer ran on the side of a 1965 Dodge Coronet years earlier.

Other times Van races a 1985 Chevy Suburban. Considering the bloodlines, the odd choices of race cars aren't surprising. With Shirl Greer such a unique individual, the family said goodbye in a ceremony at the dragway where they fired up his old Mustang just days after his funeral.

Greer's exploits in winning the first NHRA Funny Car championship are legendary. He won a national event at Montreal and scored a runner-up finish on his way to the championship. But, the event still most talked about was his incredible comeback at the 1974 NHRA World Finals.

Greer entered that final race of the season 174 points behind Paul Smith in the championship standings. During Saturday qualifying, his engine broke which led to a huge fire that burned off half his Mustang Funny Car’s body and sent Greer to the hospital with burns to his hands and face.

His championship hopes were seemingly dashed, but his fellow racers, including Smith who had failed to qualify for eliminations, pitched in to rebuild the engine and the back half of the car. He borrowed a firesuit and helmet from Al Hanna, and gloves from Don “The Snake” Prudhomme.

Greer climbed behind the wheel and won his first-round race against Leroy Chadderton, exploding the blower in the process. When Prudhomme lost in the second round to Dale Pulde, Greer clinched the season championship.

Ironically, Greer's induction as a Thunder Valley Legend comes one year after Pulde was bestowed the same honor.

Greer's name is the first one listed across the front of suites that rise above the Bristol Dragway starting line.

“To all of us, dad was always larger than life. Superman didn't have anything on him,” Brian said. “We knew how much of an impression he made and how much he inspired us. We didn't realize until he was gone how many people's lives he touched.”

Van Greer explained there's not a better place in the world for the family to remember his father.

“It's our favorite place,” Van said. “This is usually where we get all of our family reunion pictures took, usually in the winner's circle. This is what we do as a family. We don't go to picnics or go to family reunions. This is our family reunion here.” - Jeff Birchfield



QUICK HITS: RACE DAY REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION

TOP FUEL

A CLUTCH SITUATION – A Top Fuel driver can sometimes look cool as a cucumber while all hell might be breaking loose with the car. This was exactly what happened to Brandon Bernstein during his second round match opposite Troy Buff. An unexplainable clutch issue nearly got the best of Bernstein.

“The car just didn’t want to go forward,” Bernstein explained. “It was just not rolling at all and even after the burnout, it was hard to get it back and going into the lights; it was even harder. I had to go in early to keep from hanging him out.”

“That’s a lot to be going through your mind before a race and when things don’t go right …”

A COOLER SURFACE - Track temperature for the opening pair of Top Fuel dragsters measured the coolest for any of the nitro sessions - 119. By second round, it rose to 128. One round later it was 138. During the three day sessions, the track temperature has averaged in the 140-degrees.

NO GIFT FOR DIXON – If the Father’s Day race was held in Las Vegas, Larry Dixon would be a sure bet. The veteran driver has raced in seven NHRA events staged on the special day and won five times and runner-upped once.

In the first round at Bristol, his round win record dropped to 23-2 after getting outrun by Morgan Lucas.


FUNNY CAR

NEED TO CALM DOWN FELLA – Del Worsham’s fortunes of late has him anxious on the starting line, almost a bit too antsy in the second round against Jack Beckman. He won the race but could have easily thrown it away.

“I almost jumped the gun again,” Worsham said. “You’d think after twenty years I’d know how to calm down a little bit.”

THREATENED – One thing Austin Coil and John Force have learned in drag racing, if “Big” Jim Dunn issues a threat – you had better count on him carrying it out, or at least putting forth the effort.

“Big Jim told Austin, he was going to throw an .18 on us in the first round,” said Force. “I know that [Paul]Lee kid can make it happen.”

Force and Coil came to the line prepared and laid down a 4.24 for the win.

BROTHERLY LOVE – For all of his woes during qualifying who was Tony Pedregon’s first round draw? If you guessed his brother Cruz Pedregon, you were correct.

Tony won with a 4.289 elapsed time while Cruz slowed to a 4.40. This weekend marks the second race for Mike Kloeber as Tony’s tuner.

“I can guarantee you that when the Pedregon brothers come to the starting line, they come to race,” Tony said. “We don’t comprise anything out here.”

YOU AGAIN? – Del Worsham met defending series champion Robert Hight in the first round of eliminations. For the second weekend in a row, Worsham beat him.

JUST GO A TO B – Jeff Diehl informed Ashley Force Hood before their first round match: “I’m not racing this round.”

Diehl intended to go to the starting line and make a run down the strip but for a different reason other than beating her. He wanted to make it to the finish line without burning the car to the ground. The last two runs Diehl made resulted in a barn burner, including one during Saturday’s qualifying.

“We went over the car yesterday and had a few things wrong,” explained Diehl. “I had to actually pull the fuel shutoff so I didn’t go off of the end of the track. This lap was my check-out lap and I told her that beforehand. We did it, it was slow but perfect, we’ll go on to Norwalk from here.”

PRO STOCK

IT’S ABOUT TIME – Vinny Deceglie had never won a round of Pro Stock competition headed into the first round of eliminations. The unenviable statistic changed on Sunday when he defeated Greg Anderson on a hole shot.

“It feels good to get the first round win, been a long time coming,” said Deceglie. “We did it.”

Deceglie crashed earlier in the season in Phoenix, rebounding one race later.

THANKS FELLAS – Bob Yonke strapped .05 on Mike Edwards out of the gate during the first round. Edwards used every ounce of horsepower his car could muster to set the event low elapsed time to run Yonke down with a 6.718.

“I have to thank my guys for that one, because I sure didn’t do my job,” Edwards admitted.

NHRA announcer Bob Frey, commenting on Edwards taking the lesser of the two lanes, “I don’t care if there’s a windmill and a clown in his lane, I’m still picking Edwards.”

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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - A DAY OF HEAT AND EMOTIONS IN THE VALLEY

THE HOME DEFENSE - Legendary football coach Dan Devine never drove a Pro Stock car. Likewise Allen Johnson has never coached a college football team.

On Saturday in Bristol, Tenn., the two came together in spirit at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Their common ground was a quote made famous in Devine’s pre-game speeches: “No one, I mean no one, comes into our house and pushes us around.”

Johnson, of Greeneville, Tenn., considers Bristol Dragway his home.

Saturday afternoon, with a track temperature well over 130 degrees, Johnson drove his Mopar-sponsored Dodge Avenger to the No. 1 qualifying position, knocking defending series champion Mike Edwards from the top spot.

“Last night we missed the setup and it was sad because we wanted that top spot so bad,” said Johnson. “We knew we had a car capable of it. It didn’t set too well, at home, for someone to come in and take our spot away.

“I really didn’t think we could take the number one today with the conditions we had to race in, but we barely nipped him. We made one of the most awesome runs we could. I think if we can maintain lane choice all day tomorrow, we might have something for him.”

Johnson is only one of two drivers other than Edwards to qualify No. 1 in 2010. Only Johnson has pulled off the feat more than once.

The last time Johnson qualified No. 1, during the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga., he made the bold statement that he and his team had caught Edwards in terms of performance and horsepower. He hasn’t wavered from the belief.

“I think we are neck and neck with him,” Johnson said. “He still makes perfect runs every time and we are still every five out of six. It’s going to come down to the Finals [in Pomona] and who has lane choice at most of the tracks.”

Johnson believes the last few races might qualify his team to be the top contender for Edwards’ belt, the Pro Stock championship.

“I feel like that, I really do,” admitted Johnson. “We are jelling and coming together at the right time. Mike is not just going to lay down and let us take it away. You have Jeggie, Greg and Jason all have found their stride. I believe it will come down to five or six cars.”

But on a day where emotions ran high in the hometown hero’s pits, just getting the No. 1 went a long way towards upholding hometown and family pride. Roy Johnson, Allen’s father and also the team’s engine builder, is racing this weekend in Stock eliminator and worked his way through the competition ladder.

“My mom [Revonda Johnson] hugged me and said, ‘What a dream.’ I agree with her,” conveyed Johnson. “For dad to go rounds and me to get the No. 1, I have to agree with her. It’s an emotional time for me. It’s been a while since we have had our whole family assembled here. Our family, friends and the employees of our company.

“Dad works so hard and has done so for the last 20 years at this, and then he gets behind the wheel of a car for the first time in a long time and comes out here and does this, it’s so emotional for me. That’s the reason I do this … the racing … is for him. Racing out here keeps him young. I always knew if he had the chance to come back out here and race one of these cars again, he’d be awesome at it. Just to see him be able to do it again, in front of the family is awesome.

“I’ve had more fun watching him than I have racing. He’s got a bye run into the semis. Maybe he and I can win together tomorrow.”

Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson celebrates his father's win during Stock final eliminations. Roy Johnson has a bye run into the semis while Allen starts Father's Day from the No. 1 spot on the ladder.

RACE DAY WILL BE MIND-BOGGLING - With temperatures climbing into the low 90's, and track temps at 140 degrees,   Antron Brown and the Matco Tools crew got down to the business of finding the right tune-up to carry the teams through four rounds of competition on Sunday.

“The track, right now, has been as hot as it has been all weekend,” said Brown after clinching the number one spot in his Top Fuel dragster. “We like when it gets hot out there. I think tomorrow we are going to back her down a little bit so it doesn't pop the chutes out before the finish line; try to run some high 3.90's. I think if you can do that tomorrow, run anywhere between 3.97 to 4.01, that is what it is going to take to win these rounds tomorrow.”

Brown knows what he is talking about. He was second fastest in the third and fastest in the fourth round of qualifying under the increasing summer heat with passes of 3.990 seconds at 302.48 mph and 4.006 seconds at 291.89 mph, respectively.

Brown loves the heat. He believes his team runs the best in the heat. Still, Brown isn't taking his first round match-up against Doug Kalitta lightly.

“I feel confident for tomorrow, but we have to take it one round at a time,” admitted Brown. “We have Kalitta first round. He qualified 16th, but he is no 16th place qualifier. Tomorrow they could be on the p's and q's and it will be like a final round match-up first round. It will be a tough one for sure tomorrow, but we're looking forward to that challenge.”

When questioned about the possibility of a tire-smoking pedal-fest on Sunday, Brown admitted the track, at least to the 800 feet area is good despite the higher temperature.

“You know what the hard deal is? This track, even though it is hot, is pretty good to half track,” Brown explained. “We're having problems keeping our deal from spinning right before the finish line, about the 800 feet area. We're so slow early, it's like the car is still trying to go. When we get to that area there is still a lot of power there.

“The cool part is our car has been working really well down low, from 150 feet to the 400 feet area where we use to spin the tires all the time, like everybody does.

“We just want to take it one step at a time tomorrow. It's still mind boggling and tricky right there, but our car has went down it four runs in a row. I am pretty stoked about that and we're hoping for the same deal tomorrow.”

So far, Brown has gained 10 points on the competition this weekend. The key now is picking up the maximum points on race day.

“It's going to be one of those mind boggling days tomorrow. We got some really good points in qualifying, 10 extra points there and we need to do that. But, Sunday, it doesn't make a difference what you did on Friday and Saturday.”

Brown is confident the team is ready to break into the win column because his team is really beginning to come together.

“It's not just the car,” said Brown, when asked to explain the team's resurgence. “It's the whole team synergy. We had a couple new guys at the beginning of this year and a new guy in the middle of this year, so everybody is starting to click. They are able to look at each other without even talking and know what each other means. That is what happened last year on the Western Swing. We're starting to get that same synergy.

“We're just going to go out here tomorrow and charge each round with our best and see where we end up at.”

Brown believes the team is more than ready to end the day hoisting the Wally high into the air.

NO. 1 HEADED INTO FATHER'S DAY - As temperatures soared today, teams battled a tricky track at Bristol Dragway.

Consequently, no one came close to challenging Ashley Force Hood’s Friday night run of 4.151 second and for the second year in a row Force Hood will enter the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals as the No. 1 qualifier.

The tricky conditions baffled just about every Funny Car team all day and Force Hood knows that the first round tomorrow could be a toss-up if conditions are as hot as today.

“There are some really strong cars out there and we did not run that spectacular and we still wound up No. 1. It shows that it is challenging. We were able to figure it out and get down the track. There were a lot of other teams that were out there struggling this weekend. They will probably get it figured out and run better tomorrow. I think it is going to be exciting for the fans because it is going to be very unpredictable,” said the 3-time NHRA national event winner.

“This will not be a race that will go along with the paper ladder. People that can recover from tire smoke and get their car down or just people that can get down A to B have the best shot at winning rounds tomorrow. Obviously we will try and get A to B but if that doesn’t happen I’ll do my best to pedal my Castrol GTX Mustang and get it recovered. This is a very tricky track,” added the 11-time No. 1 qualifier.

With conditions throwing crew chiefs curve balls all day Force Hood knows that her tandem of tuners, Ron Douglas and Dean “Guido” Antonelli, will use today’s info to make the best decision for the opening session on Sunday. The ability to bounce ideas of the other two Funny Car teams in the JFR camp will also help.

“Of course you are watching other teams and especially our own teams. We are able to learn from them and look at their runs. I don’t know if running at the back of the pack helped us too much as far as conditions but it felt like it was getting warmer and warmer. You do gain a little bit of knowledge watching other people run. I am sure Guido and Ron will be back in the pit with Austin (Coil), Bernie (Fedderly), (Mike) Neff and Jimmy (Prock) going over everything. We’ll try and take everything we have learned and try to go out with three strong Mustangs tomorrow morning.”

Force Hood will race Jeff Diehl who on Saturday suffered a fire in Saturday’s opening qualifying session, and did not make an attempt in the final session.

PRESERVING HISTORY - The history of Bristol Dragway is important to David McGee. Preserving that history, he admits, is his lifelong challenge.

McGee, of Bristol, Tenn., is so passionate about the drag strip carved out of a valley that he’s attended every major national event since 1979 and has written a book chronicling the history of track in pictures.

“This was one of the first places I came to, to attend a national event,” McGee said. “I grew up about four hours from here so this was the closest major event to my house.

“I had heard about this all my life. When I first came here I was struck with the acoustics of the place. The whole aura about it hooked me. It was just a mind-blowing experience to be part of it. As the years went on I worked for the IHRA and I had a more intimate knowledge of what was going on around here. I realized that this really was a very special place.”

McGee was so impressed with the experience that he took a job with the IHRA, formerly the sanctioning body for the drag strip. The  corporate headquarters for the IHRA were located on the grounds of the track.

“It was pretty cool to come to work every day because you never knew what was going to show up,” recalled McGee. “Somebody might come and test or your might have spectators just come by. You see that today with the circle track where people will stop and want to take pictures. That was the case even back in the mid-1980s. You would have race fans who would stop and just want to stand on the starting line. They wanted to see it. It was really cool.”

The memories of the fan interaction went a long way to convince McGee he wasn’t alone in his admiration of the facility and served as an inspiration for his book titled Bristol Dragway.
It is the second book he’d authored, the first being on Bristol Motor Speedway.

While the speedway book moved quickly, the drag strip version catered largely to a smaller niche audience.

“Bristol Dragway came on the heels of a book we did on Bristol Motor Speedway with the same publisher, Arcadia Publishing and it was a new venture for them,” McGee explained. “I think their expectations were very high because the Speedway book did very well. (This one) didn't sell as well as that did. But, at the same time, it was very well received. It's still selling well. It's still out there and on the market. It's only been out there three years.

“We see throughout motorsports, we see people looking back; looking at where the sports have been, whether its NASCAR, whether its Formula 1, whether its NHRA or IHRA. I think people are beginning to appreciate, as the population ages, I think people think back and remember they went there as a kid or whatever.  People are reaching out to that. You look at all the nostalgia websites, Facebook and people have put up tributes to tracks where they grew up. I think people recognize and appreciate that history. I think as people as we get older, as the population ages, we long for our youth and I think that's a big part of it and where the appreciation comes in.”

And for Bristol Dragway, few can appreciate the unique facility like McGee does.

RESPONDING TO PRESSURE - Being tossed into the fire is nothing new to Tim Freeman. He’s been there, done that.

Friday marked his first race as crew chief for the Rodger Brogdon Pro Stock team and the conditions couldn’t have been tougher. A 90-degree day, 140 track temp, as Freeman understands, separates the good crew chiefs from the posers.

In their first shot at a hot and humid Bristol Dragway during the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Brogdon was the fifth quickest during the first session. Not bad for an opening statement.

“It would have been a whole lot easier if we had gotten to go test,” said Freeman, who raced for the last four seasons in Competition Elimination. “Coming right to the race track made it a little difficult. But, we've got a lot of good guys here – Doctor Phil, Jerry Eckman, Big Show, Weasel. We got a lot of good guys, a lot of knowledge over here.”

Freeman, a former Pro Stock Truck racer, was introduced to drag racing in a sink or swim manner. While most drag racing novices get their first shot at the drag strip in a street car, at 15, Freeman was put behind the wheel of a C/Modified Production 1966 Corvette Stingray capable of running the nines.

“Now that was an experience,” Freeman admitted.

Freeman first migrated into the Pro Stock ranks as a crewman for Ron Krisher, a role he held for nearly seven years. The experience taught him the challenges of life on the NHRA Full Throttle tour. It also impressed upon him the need to think over the Brogdon job offer when it was first presented.

“The time away from home in Pro Stock is the downside,” admitted Freeman. “You have to eat, sleep and live it if you are going to race Pro Stock.”

And for Freeman, much of the first days on the job, was spent inspecting the Attitude Apparel Pontiac and checking over the details. Like most every crew chief in the business, Freeman was putting his fingerprint on the car.

“We've changed a few things … nothing major,” Freeman said. “Just, going over the thing and setting up the thing the way we want to do it with Jerry and Phil and me. Kinda front to back, going over everything. Not a whole lot of major changes. Just a lot of small minor changes.”

 

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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - THUNDERING IN THE VALLEY

MAKING THE TOUGH DECISIONS - Tony Pedregon looked like a fish out of water. Admittedly he felt like one.

Pedregon, a two-time NHRA Funny Car champion, stood in the Bristol Dragway media center as cars made their first qualifying runs down the drag strip. This was nothing new for Pedregon but what was different was standing amongst the media as his class ran without him.

“Never in my career,” said Pedregon, when he reflected on the last time he sat out a qualifying session to save money. “I’ve been racing professionally since 1996 and for most of my career I’ve had the good fortune of driving for someone else. This is the first time in my career that I’ve sat one out and I have to say that it’s a little awkward. But, I took a lot of things into account and I took into account all the variables on the business side, and what we do on the track. And with sixteen cars, we’re afforded the luxury of not having to make all the runs. If there we seventeen or eighteen cars I would take a different approach but I’ve still got to be smart about it.”

Pedregon understands tough financial times demand tough decisions. And, for Pedregon, who has raced consecutively for a little over 14 seasons, Bristol could have ended his streak had it not have been for the sponsorship this weekend from Kenny Koretsky’s NitroFish brand.

“There’s no question about it, as much as I want to stay in the top ten, being competitive is important but my business surviving is a priority,” admitted Pedregon. “I’m still optimistic. But, I’m in a little bit of a different position now. I’m watching but it’s still a great sport, it really is, I believe that. I think it’s a great product, I think as an owner that’s what motivates me. I just think we need to better market it and that’s my job. That’s my responsibility. NHRA, I think they’re going to help to a certain degree but I think it’s going to require everybody pushing in the same direction. So I’m not going to get to discouraged it’s just I’ve come to terms with the reality of things.”

Pedregon is taking the steps to keep his team in the hunt on a less than top notch budget and hiring noted tuner Mike Kloeber to right his errant ship is one he feels is in the right direction. However, Kloeber didn’t suggest missing the session, the buck stops with Pedregon. He made the choice himself.

“It’s my decision and it’s tough, it’s just something I’ve been thinking about for the last couple of races and I’ve really intended on doing this,” revealed Pedregon. “By nature we need more runs; we still didn’t test like most of the other teams. We’re just taking this a little bit longer and the fact that I’ve had a couple of different crew chiefs it’s almost like starting over again.

“Kloeber understands the position that I’m in. I think he respects that and that’s why I like him. I know this guy’s raced with those conditions before and I think he supports it so we’re on the same page and anxious to get back out.”

Pedregon was 13th in his only run Friday; the nighttime pass where conditions were the best. Two other drivers, Jeff Diehl and Paul Lee,  also sat out Friday’s opening qualifying session.

“I’m not surprised,” said Pedregon. “I’m here because I was able to get some funding from Koretsky and his Nitrofish brand at the last minute. Taking that into account that’s still going to be pretty tight for me this weekend and Norwalk, I may be in the same situation but we’re committed. We’re committed to being there and if more cars show up then I’ll turn back into the racer that I am and make every run if I have to. So to some degree I try to do whatever it takes and the balance for me is being sensible and that’s something I haven’t had to do in a long time.”

Sitting also has it’s benefits.

“I’ll go back to the pits for the first time in a long time and will have zero parts damaged and zero burnt pistons and broken parts,” Pedregon admitted.

EDWARDS STANDS UP TO AJ’S CHALLENGE - Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson proclaimed during the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga., that his team had effectively caught the defending series champion Mike Edwards in terms of power and performance.

Friday night in Bristol, Tenn., during the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Johnson’s hometown Bristol Dragway, Edwards performance proved Johnson's comments might have been a bit premature.

Edwards cranked out a 6.725 elapsed time at 204.94 to claim the provisional pole, and if it holds will mark his tenth of the season, 32nd career and second consecutive in Bristol.

So much for the hometown advantage.

“He’s definitely closed the gap if he hasn’t caught me that’s for sure,” admitted Edwards, when asked Friday night if Johnson had caught him. “I think we’re so close; we’re just really, really close. You know there are a couple of other teams that ran really close to us but for sure A J and that whole team is doing a tremendous job and they’re so close.”

Edwards believes while he has been dominant early in the season, this year’s Countdown to 1 might just be the closest in Pro Stock history. The fan in him believes he’d enjoy watching the battle from the outside. For now, he’s more than elated to be in the thick of it.

“It’s going to go down between him and me and a couple of other teams as far as fighting it out for that spot,” Edwards said. “You know we’ll just have to see what the rest of the season holds; I promise you it’s going to be exciting for the fans.”

If he’s the champion, he’ll accept it. If not, he’ll accept the outcome as well.

“I’m truly living my dream,” said Edwards. “You start saying stuff like that, seven wins, and number one qualifier is just, for me I’ve been doing this a long time and I never dreamed I could do that. And I am living a dream and I’m just blessed. God has given me so much to be thankful for and I just praise Him and give Him all the glory.”

ANTRON SET FOR HIS TIME OF THE SEASON - When the track conditions are at their nastiest; when the thermometer begs for mercy; that is the time Top Fuel racer Antron Brown turns into one cool player on the NHRA Full Throttle Series.

On a Friday where the track temperature remained largely in the 140-degree range, Brown drove his Matco Tools-sponsored dragster to the top of the provisional qualifying list with a 3.856 elapsed time at 314.24 miles per hour.

If his run holds through Saturday qualifying it will mark his fourth No. 1 of the season and 25th of his career.

“It's about that time again this year,” agreed Brown, who swept last season’s NHRA Western Swing in July. “I think a lot of other teams have stepped up to the plate when the track gets hot. Brandon (Bernstein) is doing well when the tracks hot. Dixon does well when the track is hot with Jason McCullough behind him.

“We like it when it gets hot. We go off some of our notes last year, doing what we did. We won a lot of races and went to a lot of final races when the tracks got hot and slimy. But, we also didn't always make it down the track every time when it was hot and slimy. This year we are looking forward to going A to B, that is our motto – like my initial. That is what it takes to go rounds out here. Every round is crucial.”

Brown was over .02 quicker than his nearest foe, teammate Cory McClenathan. Larry Dixon was third, followed by Bernstein.

“I think after this race we have five races left to the Countdown,” Brown said. “All these races are important. Our team goal is to get into that top three. There is still a lot of racing left and we're going to start here in Bristol.”

Will the run hold? Brown can’t help but wonder with two sessions remaining.

“You never know what is going to stand out there,” Brown admitted. “You have some phenomenal race cars out there. Tony Schumacher, our teammate was geared up to run in the mid 3.80's. Then you have Cory Mac behind us, Larry Dixon behind us and Shawn Langdon behind us, too. His car has been running phenomenal lately. We have a lot of great talented teams out here. My deal was, once I knew there was only two cars left I told my boys at least were in the top three. At least we can get a point or so from the qualifying points because that plays a big key.

“Our team is playing a little catch up right now. We just want to keep on doing well, like this, and we just want to carry it into race day. We got down that hot track with a nice easy run. The track changed and everyone made big changes to get down the track because it was considerably better tonight. We though there was about a mid-80 out there tonight and we nailed it right on. We went off a run we had before and she went right down there; tiptoed right on down through there and wasn't any trouble at all.”

ASHLEY FORCE HOOD: THE CARD IS MY FATHER'S DAY GIFT - Her father has played the role of Superman before at Bristol Dragway; however, if they meet in eliminations, Ashley Force Hood is prepared to be John Force’s kryptonite.

On the Friday of Father’s Day Weekend, the second-generation driver piloted her way to the provisional No. 1 at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals with a 4.151 elapsed time at 296.70 miles per hour.

“I wrote that on Sunday that this card is your Father’s Day gift not any kind of win,” If I run you I still have to beat you. If we could meet in the final that would be the perfect scenario. We’ll get to Sunday and if we can get any of our Mustangs to the winner’s circle it will be a good Father’s Day.”

Any Father’s Day with her 14-time championship winning father, who was 6th after two sessions, is good.

“It is always special to be here with him on Father’s Day. There were a lot of times when we were kids and we did not see him on Father’s Day. He would be at a race and we might still be in school or busy. Now it is neat to be here racing with him,” said Force Hood.

“Even today, already you have seen so many dads with kids out here on a Friday. It is a special weekend for them. There are a lot of fathers and sons out here racing as well as some fathers and daughters I am sure. I think it will be fun for everyone involved. It will be an exciting weekend and you have the holiday on top of that.”

By virtue of her strong opening session run of 4.289 seconds, which was the second quickest, Force Hood earned her way to the back of the pack for a cooler track temperature in the second round of qualifying. The average temperature during the day was in the 140-degree range but Force Hood’s final shot was at 106.

“I couldn’t see when my teammates ran,” said Force Hood. “I was trying to listen over the radio. A track like this is really tricky but it also has really good conditions. If you can get it down you should be able to make a good run. We were trying not to base too much on what we were going to do on what other people were doing. The conditions were changing throughout the session. We looked at data from other races more.

“It worked for us on that run. I don’t know how close to the edge we were. It felt like a nice smooth run. I didn’t have any problems at any point during the run. They are very happy with that run. It is always good to run really good on the Friday night session. We also all know that it won’t do us any good on Sunday other than position for qualifying. Sunday’s conditions won’t be anything like tonight. It is fun to run in the night session and do well but we would be just as happy to get some good runs in tomorrow in the heat because that is what is going to help us for Sunday.”

NOT BAD FOR A VETERAN - When you’re a race car driver you’ll get advice from random drivers.

Friday afternoon, after his first day of driving a race car in 15 years was complete, Roy Johnson took a phone call from a longtime friend.

Johnson, who is the father of Pro Stock standout Allen Johnson, is racing in this weekend’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Stock Eliminator. The call was from drag racing school instructor Roy Hill.

“Hold it wide open. Go fast. Don't leave to early,” said Johnson when asked what advice he received.

Actually Johnson was already ahead of Hill’s advice. He red-lighted in the second round of F/Stock Automatic preliminary class eliminations. Class eliminations at NHRA events are a throwback to the older days when class eliminations determined who earned the right to compete in final eliminations. Even though Johnson fouled in class runoffs, he’ll race in eliminations by virtue of his No. 2 qualifying position, -1.22 seconds quicker than his class index.

Johnson lost his opportunity to snag a trophy by losing to Eric Merryfield, who is qualified No. 1 headed into Saturday.

“Well two runs he ran quicker, but the rest of the time I had him covered,” Johnson beamed. “And, that run I covered him too, but I didn't know that before we went. I thought he might be sandbagging, so I had to go for it.”

Johnson learned after 15 years, drag racing can be similar to organized crime, where a participant can never leave.

“I've never been able to,” admitted Johnson. “I thought I quit ten years. I did quit ten years and now I have been 15 years back. Enjoyed every minute of it. Now, I am kinda wanting to learn how to drive this car properly.”

Flashbacks from his old days?

“It pretty much felt like those old days,” Johnson said. “This car, we haven't found the sweet spot, yet. So, it was a lot of chassis, a lot of work to be done if we are going to run it. I don't know if I want to work that hard on a Stocker, or not.”

Moments later, Johnson excused himself from the interview, citing his need to prepare for Saturday because he’s a racer again.

GIVING PROPS - Bristol [TN] will likely never get its props when it comes to the advancement of the Pro Stock division. As much of an influence as Detroit had in the formation of the factory hot rod category, it was Bristol which took the class to the level it now enjoys.

To the right of the creek which runs through the property which is home to both the NASCAR track and the NHRA track used to stand a building where a sanctioning body executive at his wits end suggested to his boss, maybe their series ought to step outside of the conventional rules the Pro Stock division had used since its introduction. At the time, the rules package was cumbersome and considered anything but fair.

Ted Jones was the executive who suggested to the IHRA’s founder, Larry Carrier, they scrap the traditional method of factoring the different manufacturing combinations and adopt their own special breed of Pro Stock classification.

Thus was born the mountain motor Pro Stocker.

“It was a nightmare without end because you always had to adjust the rules,” said Jones, of the factoring systems for the first few years of the Pro Stock classification. “You had several weight breaks and they were for every combination under the sun. You had them for staggered valves, cylinder heads, wheelbase, and so on and so forth.

“Most every Pro Stocker had to run a small block because if you didn’t, you’d have to run so much weight that it was unreasonable and the parts breakage for running such a heavy combination was unreal. It was a real headache.”

Jones went to watch an outlaw race in 1976 featuring cars running upwards of an unheard of for that era – 500 cubic inches. Inspired by the show he witnessed, he returned to Bristol with enough inspiration to walk into Carrier’s office with a bold proposal.

“I was tired of the never-ending nightmare,” Jones said. “I had watched Bob Glidden get the Ford Cleveland combination hammered so much that he was the only one competitive with that combination. I walked into Larry’s office and asked if he wanted to make our Pro Stock cars scream and have the class become a conversation piece. I knew he was interested in what I was saying and I couldn’t help it. The presentation began flowing.

“I told him that we needed to come out with a new version of Pro Stock and call it run 'whatcha brung'. No cubic inch limits … bolt in the biggest damn motor you can and bring it on. There will be safety of course. But make them weigh 2,350 pounds, run pump gas and have two four barrel carburetors. We don’t even need to know how big the motors are. We’ll just tell them to put the big motors in there and come on out and race.”

The publicity followed the IHRA’s new style of Pro Stock racing. Coming during an era when the Pro Stockers were the only professional doorslammer division in major championship drag racing,  it didn't take long for the news to be spread across the pages of the leading drag racing magazines, namely Super Stock & Drag Illustrated, journalist proclaimed the excitement of the fast doorslammers.

And then Rickie Smith broke a major barrier; he put one of the Pro Stockers into the seven second zone in 1980. A year later the talk was about the IHRA and how their seven second runners were showcasing the skills of the veterans Warren Johnson, Ronnie Sox, Roy Hill and a score of other lesser known drivers.

It became apparent, in a day and age when the IHRA was considered a legit threat to the NHRA, the IHRA’s 7.9 second runners were upstaging the NHRA’s 8.3-second superstars.

The NHRA at the end of the 1981 opted to abandon their traditional rules package for a 500-inch engine limit with a 2350 pound universal package. While the engines are considered small in today’s mountain motor era, at the time they were almost 200 cubic inches larger than anything the average competitor had run in the arena.

Warren Johnson raced many of those IHRA mountain motor races in the late 1970s and early 1980s, scoring consecutive championships in 1979 and 1980. Running the larger displacement engines wasn’t much of a challenge for him as he’d largely raced big block combinations in the pounds per cubic inch format divisions.

The IHRA mountain motor Pro Stock format, developed in the mountains of Bristol, provided the perfect opportunity for Johnson. He’s upfront in pointing out the time in the mountain motor Pro Stock division enabled him to learn how to win. He used the experience to become a player in the NHRA's 500-inch Pro Stock ranks.

“I have to give the IHRA credit for allowing me to learn how to race,” said Johnson, who is now the winningest Pro Stock racer in NHRA competition. “It was a great learning experience for me to springboard to this.”

Today’s Pro Stock has developed into high tech, big business and although the building which hosted the decision-making process to go to larger displacement engines has been razed, the IHRA no longer fields Pro Stock, Still, those who know their drag racing history knows the role Bristol played in developing the exciting division.

CHA-CHING - If you were a professional drag racer in 1980, you had one key reason for traveling to race in Bristol, Tenn., you came to get paid. Thunder Valley Dragway, now re-branded as Bristol Dragway, paid like no other race track.

The IHRA Spring Nationals event rewarded its winners with the largest paydays of any national event in drag racing at the time.

An event win in either nitro category paid $20,000; while Pro Stock pocketed a then incredible $10,000.

What was the inspiration for a promoter to offer up such a monetary gold mine?If you were a professional drag racer in 1980, you had one key reason for traveling to race in Bristol, Tenn., you came to get paid. Thunder Valley Dragway, now re-branded as Bristol Dragway, paid like no other race track.

The IHRA Spring Nationals event rewarded its winners with the largest paydays of any national event in drag racing at the time.

An event win in either nitro category paid $20,000; while Pro Stock pocketed a then incredible $10,000.

What was the inspiration for a promoter to offer up such a monetary gold mine?

For Larry Carrier, then IHRA President and owner of Thunder Valley Dragway, the largest payday meant the most efficient way to ensure his flagship event would draw the same discussions as the NHRA’s U.S. Nationals. Carrier decided he would gain more attention by ceasing to pay drag racing’s superstars appearance money and instead put it into a pot and let whomever showed up battle for a big payday.

A year earlier, 1979, Carrier's Spring Nationals event had already become a conversation piece but for the wrong reasons. Rain forced a one-week delay, and then a subsequent downpour on the rescheduled final eliminations day pushed the starting time until 7 PM on Sunday. Carrier gave his “come hell or high water” (he had both) speech, and at 2 AM on Monday morning the final two cars went down the track, bringing to a close the event which was sponsored, ironically, by local soft drink company Sun Drop.

In those early days, bringing in big names was how Carrier did business. He never scripted the outcome of the races, he just wanted their presence for advertising purposes.

No two racers received the same incentive money. One driver might be guaranteed a minimum amount, the equivalent of third round money, for example, or if the posted purse was $500, a “name” racer might take home $800. That was enough bait to lure them to Bristol.

Ted Jones had a front row seat to it all, serving as Carrier’s second-in-command for many years.

“It worked,” Jones said. “He had the names to put on his advertising and that attracted the fans. It worked very well, and for that reason the IHRA was an almost instant success. The big names were always determined by what they did in NHRA competition. If you did well over there – you were considered a big name.”

Carrier’s $20,000 purse for each of the nitro-burning divisions would equal a payday of nearly $200,000 to win in today’s world. Thirty years later, his purse is half of the current winning purse of the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

To avoid the rain issues, Carrier studied the almanac and moved the event ahead by a month.

Carrier even added to the experience for fans and spectators by installing a new ahead-of-its time scoreboard system. For the first time in drag racing history, the elapsed times and sportsman dial-ins were displayed for all to see at the finish line.

Dave Bishop was one of the leading freelancers of the era, covering the event for the IHRA’s Drag Review paper and leading monthly magazine Super Stock and Drag Illustrated.

“The thing you took notice of immediately were the large fields of cars,” Bishop said. “That was one of two things you expected from that event. There were lots of cars and plenty of rain every year.

“When Carrier announced what he was going to pay, it was a tremendous amount of money. It was extra huge. It was evident that he intended to have the best field of drag racing that one could have. The IHRA was always the underdog and they always tried to be one up on the NHRA. That was what precipitated this whole thing.

“The place was packed. You could see people on the hills and it didn’t matter if it did rain – they were going to be there. They wanted to see a quality show and they got that.”

The fans got a quality show and the drag racers a quality payoff all because Carrier realized for an event to be big everyone in attendance, fans and competitors, had to believe it was a big event. Which, in the case of the IHRA Spring Nationals was without question.

 

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