2011 NHRA VEGAS2 NATIONALS - EVENT NOTEBOOK
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - WE HEAD TO POMONA WITH THREE TITLES UNDETERMINED
NAPA KNOW-HOW - Let the record reflect “NAPA Know How” includes beating the odds.
The popular slogan for the auto parts chain features their sponsored driver Ron Capps in commercials talking about all the actions he cannot pull off, but when it comes to parts – he’s got it covered.
One race after failing to make the show at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Phoenix, Capps not only won the race but did so from the No. 1 qualifying position during the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas.
“I’m still stunned,” said Capps. “It’s tougher to win from the No. 1 spot because you are always fighting something. It’s tough to do for some reason. It’s almost a jinx. When you do that it’s something special. My crew guys pointed it out when they came down to pick me up. That’s just as special to me as them.”
Capps said the win was especially gratifying for his crew, who had checked out of the hotel in Phoenix early and headed to Vegas in the days after their DNQ for testing. Since Don Schumacher added crew chief Tim Richards, Capps admitted he drives differently.
“I go up to that starting line every time and try to win, just to make him proud,” admitted Capps. “It’s a tough car to drive and keep in the groove. I’m not going to lie. I’ve really had to dig down. I haven’t had this much of a challenge in a long time. It’s a great challenge to have. A guy like that, he’s like Ed McCulloch, Dick LaHaie, Austin Coil … give him a few runs. They go up there and make magic.”
Racing in his fifth 2011 final, Capps left on teammate Johnny Gray and led him through the finish line with a 4.109-second elapsed time at 311.34 miles per hour. Gray lost with his slowest run of race day with a 4.203, 295.08.
Capps’ road to the final round included victories over Todd Lesenko, teammate Jack Beckman and Cruz Pedregon.
“It was an emotional day in beating Jack and then beating Johnny, because we owed him,” said Capps. “The car planted me back in the trunk just like it did on Saturday night when we went to No. 1. I didn’t think it was going to make it to the finish line but it did and that’s really cool.”
Capps leaves Vegas sixth in points, just one point out of fifth. He’s 72 points out of first and still mathematically in contention.
He’s holding on to the last glimmer of hope.
“[Tim Richards] has enough data now on the car that we can go out there and swing for the fence and go for a record,” Capps said.
Capps has 33 career national event victories.
GAMBLE PAYS OFF - Del Worsham and his Al-Anabi Racing team gambled this weekend at the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals.
Sunday night they hit the jackpot.
Worsham, who debuted a new chassis Friday, clocked a 3.823-second elapsed time to narrowly defeat Spencer Massey’s 3.834-second lap in the finals at The Strip.
“Again, like Reading (Pa.) I have the fastest car again and obviously the best team with Sheik Khalid,” said Worsham, who lost to Massey in the finals at Reading. “He has assembled a group of guys here led by Alan Johnson and Brian (Husen) that are amazing. I didn’t want to let anybody down. Today it was Al-Anabi and our team. It was so close down there. I just knew he (Massey) was lurking and he told me he didn’t see me either. When my big ol’ win light flashed up down there I was pretty proud.”
This is Worsham’s seventh win of the season and more important, he moved up from fourth to second in the season point standings, just two points behind Massey.
The 2011 NHRA season concludes Nov. 10-13 at the NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif.
“This is 21 years in building here,” said Worsham, who made his NHRA debut in 1990. “This is my career as far as drag racing goes. It has come down basically to one race right now, and I’m looking forward to it. I got some confidence built up now. I have had a lot of success through the years, but I have never personally been at this level. For Shiek Khalid to give me this opportunity and for Alan Johnson to believe in me and for Brian to build this kind of car with this team and to come where they have come from, I am a lucky guy.”
Worsham’s spent the majority of his NHRA career driving a Funny Car, before moving to Top Fuel this season. Worsham’s career-best Funny Car finish was second in the points in 2004, but he was a distant second to champion John Force.
Worsham, who qualified No. 1 at Vegas, was 51 points out of first on Friday before closing the gap dramatically Sunday with wins over Shawn Langdon, David Grubnic, Antron Brown and Massey. Worsham took the win over Brown by a redlight.
“Coming off a win and going in with momentum is probably the biggest advantage I have right now,” Worsham said as he prepares for the season finale at Pomona. “The fact that it (his dragster) goes down the track nearly every run makes me feel pretty good. We are going back to Pomona, I’m from there, I have a lot of family and a lot of friends (from there). The Johnson family was here this weekend. My dad was here, and my wife is here and my kids are here trick or treating, I’m awful lucky to be here right now. Mark my words, it is going to come down to the final round (at Pomona), and the two cars in the final, whoever wins is going to be the 2011 world champion.”
Although Worsham has never been in a title fight like this, he is glad Johnson is on his side.
“Let me tell you a little bit about Alan Johnson,” Worsham said. “He is such a dedicated, devoted individual and so good at what he does. No matter what you are doing with him, whether it is golfing or bowling or drinking beer for that matter, he brings out the best in you. He is very good and very focused. When I golf with him, I pick up five strokes. It is unreal. The guy is very motivational and you just do not want to let him down. He’s a great guy and comes from a great family. I love his mom and dad, and I knew his brother (Blaine) well. I basically talked him into going nitro racing when I was a kid on my bicycle. I said ‘hey if we can do it’ you can do it.’ He is an amazing individual.”
WINNING THE BATTLE - Mike Edwards might have officially lost the war on Sunday in Vegas, but it didn’t keep him from taking home the trophy for winning the battle.
In a battle of pre-season series championship hopefuls, Edwards topped Allen Johnson in the Pro Stock final at the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals hosted by The Strip at Las Vegas. The victory marked the third win in Edwards' last four Vegas races and a sweep of NHRA events in the 2011 season at the facility.
Edwards admits even though his 2011 car is just as good as the 2009 championship winning ride, this season's biggest enemy was consistency.
“It just seems like the little things,” Edwards said. “We just couldn't get consistent. Couldn't make the car just go up and down the track like we did in 2009. We fought it. A lot of small things just went wrong – anywhere from a clutch grinder to a tire gauge. Every little bitty thing was just biting us a little bit. Then we ran really, really well in Phoenix and just missed it in the second round. Then we came here and tried to learn from our mistakes and we came through today.”
Edwards swept the field by qualifying No. 1 and running a 6.641-second pass at 208.20 mph to eclipse the 6.668, 208.01 effort turned in by Johnson.
“To win the race … to come out here an run really well, and qualify one … and then today to put four rounds together; we've been struggling to do that for the last six or seven races,” said Edwards. “It feels good to come out and finally win a race and hats off to all my guys who did a tremendous job.
“I want to say congratulations to Jason Line who did a fantastic job, so congratulations to him.”
Edwards has four victories in 2011.
Sunday in Vegas, a battle victory suited him just fine.
“Any time you can win one of these races it's a great feeling,” said Edwards. “Yeah, Jason won the championship but any time you have a chance to win a race in this class, it's so competitive, it feels good to win, to get back into the winner's circle. It's been awhile.”
SOAR WITH THE EAGLES - With all the hoopla surrounding Rookie of the Year candidate, Eddie Krawiec has recently become a forgotten name. Krawiec provided a refresher course on why 
he is standing on the brink of winning his second NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship.
That became a reality when Krawiec beat teammate Andrew Hines in the final round of the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Sunday at the Strip.
Krawiec clocked a 6.936-elapsed time to beat Hines who came in at 6.995 seconds.
Krawiec stretched his points lead to 69 over second-place Hector Arana Jr. with just one race remaining, the NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif. Nov. 10-13.
Arana Jr. lost in the second round Sunday on a holeshot by Angie Smith.
“The most important thing here was consistency,” Krawiec said. “Round wins, round wins, round wins, and I have been saying that all year. I have been leading the points pretty much the whole year and I definitely did not want to give it up or come into the Countdown and fumble. I have just been trying to work on my riding and be consistent. No. 1 qualifying plaques do not get you Wallys and points at the end of the weekend. It is an awesome point system that we have going the past couple of years with all categories, it is really working and it makes it good for the fans. This race is by no means over yet, 69 points is a three-round lead if I can maintain going into Pomona just having to go a round. I do not know if a national record is really going to be a reality in Pomona.”
Although Krawiec is on the verge of winning another title, he is keeping things in perspective.
““It definitely takes the weight off my shoulders going into Pomona, but it is still in the back of my head,” Krawiec said. “I do not look at it as I won the championship yet.”
This is Krawiec’s fourth win of the season and 11th of his career. Krawiec was the Pro Stock Motorcycle champ in 2008.
“I really thought this (race) was going to come down me and Hector (Jr.) possibly battling it out in the final or at least in the semifinals,” Krawiec said. “My teammate (Andrew Hines) did an awesome job. He was taking out people on his side and I was taking out people on my side. We have not had an all-Harley final in the last two and a half years.”
The loss by Arana Jr. didn’t go unnoticed by Krawiec.
“At that point, second round, he obviously let it get to him a little bit, so I know he was thinking about it,” Krawiec said. “A lot of people say, I’m not thinking about (the points), but obviously he was a little bit. He is a great racer. He is one of the futures of the sport and I think the Pro Stock Motorcycle category is glad to have him in it. After I saw him go out, I got pretty excited obviously. That gave me a chance to pull away as I looked at it.”
Krawiec, who also beat David Hope, LE Tonglet, and Hector Arana Sr., Sunday, revealed Matt Hines, Andrew’s brother, and the crew chief for both Harley-Davidson motorcycles, took a gamble that paid off in Vegas.
“Matt Hines made the call to build this exhaust last week and we struggled a lot at the race at Phoenix,” said Krawiec, who lost in the finals at Phoenix to Hector Jr. “We were giving up some ET that we saw on certain parts of the track. He (Matt) said ‘well I can fix that by doing an exhaust, but it might slow up on the second half of the track. We put it on Andrew’s bike after Q1 and on Q2 his bike picked up four hundredths. We made the decision to put the other one we made on my bike. We put it on there for Q3 and my bike went out there and picked up four hundredths and it picked up everywhere we were looking to gain. That was the most important thing coming into here (Sunday). It was one of those gambles we needed to take.”
NOT AS BAD AS IT LOOKS - The physicians tending to Joe DeSantis following his Pro Stock Motorcycle crash were not content to release the rider without a thorough examination. They didn’t 
trust their optical data.
DeSantis was eventually given a clean bill of health save for a broken pinkie finger, a few stiches in his knuckles and a reasonable amount of road rash sustained when he came off of his Suzuki just shy of the finish line during the final qualifying session at the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals hosted by The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon.
“They were convinced that anyone who fell off of a bike at 180-miles per hour has to have bodily injury,” said DeSantis with a smile. “They made sure I didn’t have a broken back, or concussion, my chest was okay … my legs weren’t broken. I went through every scan you could go through. The only thing they could confirm is that I have a broken pinkie.”
DeSantis has theories of what caused the accident but nothing definite. What he does know for sure is the bike came out from under him abruptly as he tried to make a correction during the pass.
“I was on what I felt was a straight pass when the bike started to drift,” DeSantis said. “I tried to correct it but as I was in the process of doing that, I hit the dip in the track down there. I essentially hit the dip at the same time I was moving. The bike just came out from under me.
“I don’t know if I hit a slick spot in the track. Somehow or another I felt the front end in the air. When it came down, it just washed out. As I was rolling, I said to myself, ‘how in the heck did I get to this point.”
DeSantis said his ejection from the bike came without warning.
“I never feared for my life, but as a rule of thumb, you should just try to slide … when you slide, it’s road rash as compared to broken bones,” DeSantis explained. “Because it happened so abruptly, I immediately began rolling.”
Despite the wreck, DeSantis proudly proclaimed he recorded a 7.19, 180 mph.
“I think the part of this whole deal which makes me the maddest is that I can’t race today,” said DeSantis, who believes the run could have qualified for the 16-bike field.
What does make him happy is the safety equipment did its job.
“I can remember my head hitting the pavement inside of the Simpson helmet,” DeSantis explained. “There was no concussion. The Vanson leathers got torn but didn’t burn through all the way. The safety equipment held up.”
At first glance it appears the bike suffered mostly cosmetic damage.
DeSantis said he and his crew plan to take the bike apart when they arrive back in their Rootstown, Ohio-based shop to see if there is any structural damage.
“If my hand wasn’t swollen, we’d probably go to Pomona, but because it won’t turn the throttle wide open, we’re likely to wait until next season,” said DeSantis.
DRAMA FLOPS - One by one they fell. Meanwhile, a longshot continued a rise against the odds to turn the seemingly three-car race into a quartet battle.
This was how the Funny Car championship point battle materialized on Sunday during final eliminations at the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas.
Mike Neff, who won five regular season races in eight final rounds, fell in the first round to Paul Lee. The loss dropped him from third to fourth in points.
Then Jack Beckman, who entered the event as the point leader, lost in the second round to teammate Ron Capps. He had fallen out of the point lead based on the bonus points awarded in qualifying.
Matt Hagan, who had retaken the point lead headed into eliminations, went out in the pair behind Beckman exploding the supercharger to lose against Cruz Pedregon.
Cruz Pedregon, who entered the event 26 points out of the third spot, defeated Jeff Arend and then Matt Hagan to reach the semi-finals. If he would have won the event, he would have left with the point lead. Instead, he lost to Ron Capps and his bid ended at third place headed into Pomona.
Hagan understands missed opportunities are a tough to deal with but this time, he had no control of the situation.
“This is not our first missed opportunity,” said Hagan. “I have a lot of confidence in my guys and we have been here before. It’s going to come down to the last day. Stuff happens and parts break. We had a parts failure and that’s nobody’s fault. S*** happens."
If anyone understands the opportunity to capitalize on breakage it’s Hagan, who overtook John Force for the 2010 Funny Car point lead with two races to go last season when the 15-time series champion broke a throttle cable in the first round of the Reading [PA.] event. Parts failure in the first round of the final event for Hagan inevitably enabled Force to recapture the lead and win the crown.
This time around, Hagan, the point leader once again, heads into the final stop with three other foes to battle for the series championship.
“You can look at us and ask why we didn’t capitalize on it, and then look down the ladder and realize we’re not alone,” said Hagan. “We’ve had four opportunities to run away with this thing but so has everyone else. No one else is doing it either. It’s a dogfight and I want a good fight for it in the end.”
For Neff, the fight has been an excruciating one. Since the Countdown opened Neff has only one round win in the last four events. He’s won only four of 16 possible Countdown rounds.
“This has been a strange Countdown,” said Neff. “It seems as if the top cars cannot go the distance. The car who has been running the best is Johnny Gray, and he’s not even in it. It has been crazy and now it is coming down to the last race. We’re going to be at a disadvantage [headed into Pomona] but last year we were behind and it turned out good for us.
Just like last year it’s out of our hands.”
Pedregon, who stated at the onset of the Countdown, he was going to slowly work his way into contention, did just that with his strong Las Vegas performance.
The winningest driver in the Countdown thus far has been Johnny Gray, a non-qualifier for the playoffs, with three final round appearances. Pedregon was in a similar situation last season by failing to make the top ten yet winning two national events.
“Every round is important in this Countdown,” Pedregon said. “We are in a great position and couldn’t have scripted it better. Everybody has tried to get a big lead but have been unable to. We’re in a great position and the car is running good.”
In this odd scenario of driver shortcomings, Beckman believes the race fans will be the real winners.
“Funny Cars fans are going to get the show they paid their money to see,” said Beckman. “This is unbelievable.”
As much as the fans will be rewarded, Beckman believes the drivers aren’t getting rewarded with the current point system in place.
“I hate to gripe about things that could sound like sour grapes but we are one point behind and that one point and a whole bunch others are those one qualifying points that have taken things so out of proportion relative to round wins,” explained Beckman. “So, we are one round behind because we qualified two positions lower. It shouldn't equal one round, but the points are what they are.”
Neff couldn’t mask his disappoint for hitting a patch of misfortune at the most inopportune time. When the points reset, Neff surrendered 215 points, or ten rounds and 15 points.
“We usually don’t fumble around for more than a couple of races. This isn’t an easy game. It’s hard to make a car run good all year long without going through a turn of events where it’s just not working good for you.
“The fact of the matter is this car has run great for two years with a couple of hiccups here and there. It’s just timing. That’s what the Countdown is. It turns the season into six races. If it wasn’t for a Countdown, we’d be getting another ring.”
THE DREAMER DREAMS - Mark Wolfe admitted back in August he planned to sacrifice every worldly possession to race Pro Stock. At the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, the 
former Competition eliminator driver pushed in his chips in the largest gamble of his life.
Saturday afternoon, the wager paid off.
Wolfe qualified for his first career Pro Stock event with a 6.657-second elapsed time at 206.89 miles per hour. His run was quick enough for the No. 16 spot and inevitably his day ended at the hands of the Mike Edwards’ low elapsed time of the round run in the first round.
The loss did little to squelch his enthusiasm for just being able to play the game.
“It all finally paid off,” said Wolfe. “All of the years of struggling finally paid off.”
Wolfe, who qualified No. 1 in Competition eliminator with a turbocharged Thunderbird in Seattle, sold his car and engine parts to finance an engine program from Larry Morgan and drives a car purchased by unnamed investors who want to see him realize his dream.
Wolfe believes he could have qualified as high as possibly No. 11 if not for a broken valve spring.
“It’s always ten things of could-have, would-have-should have, but we got in and that was all that counted. I really couldn’t believe I was there on the starting line, looking over and there was Mike Edwards, one of the best Pro Stock racers in the class. It still hasn’t really sunk in to be honest.”
The same couldn’t be said for Wolfe’s father, Jack, who was three steps above being proud.
“He hadn’t been to watch me in a race in over six years,” said Wolfe. “He called me on Thursday and told me he had bought a plane ticket to come down. He’s the happiest guy in the pits. He has sacrificed just as much as I have. This weekend it paid off.”
This weekend’s outing wasn’t Wolfe’s first experience in racing a Pro Stocker but it certainly will go down to this point as his most cherished.
“This time it was different,” Wolfe explained. “This was a real Pro Stocker with a legitimate shot of qualifying.”
And for Wolfe, that’s all he wanted.
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK
OUTHOUSE TO THE PENTHOUSE - Ron Capps can now say he fully understands the real meaning of outhouse to the penthouse.
The NAPA Auto Parts-sponsored driver, who failed to make the cut at the NHRA Arizona Nationals two weeks ago, rebounded during the final session of Funny Car qualifying in Las Vegas to score the eleventh pole position of his career. Capps ran a 4.080-second pass at 315.49 miles per hour to edge Mike Neff and Robert Hight.
“My hat’s off to Tim Richards and the team,” said Capps, who for the first time this season will start from the top seed. “We packed up everything on Saturday in Phoenix and sat around on Sunday. It was a tough time for us and for [Dan] Weldon to have gotten killed, and we come into the facility where he got killed next door … it was a strange few days for us.”
The DSR team headed to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on the Monday following the Weldon catastrophe and along with teammate Spencer Massey, also a non-qualifier, for a day of testing.
“The dedication of this team, to pack up and come here to test was what they needed,” said Capps. “That was a spark.”
Capps DNQ in Phoenix snapped a qualifying streak of four seasons, 105 consecutive events.
Capps was unsure how to categorize his feelings from the shortcoming, rambling from frustration and aggravation.
“I just thought … this could have happened at any time in the season,” Capps explained. “But, really … it had to happen now? Right in the middle of the Countdown? It just appeared we couldn’t catch a break. We didn’t want to cry about it, and the different ways we’ve lost championships. It’s just making us earn it … work for it.”
Of the many memories from the unfortunate day, Capps admitted the one which stuck in his head was watching the celebrations of low budget racers Jeff Diehl and Todd Lesenko jumping around because they had qualified.
“It wasn’t that long ago that was me jumping around the same way after making the field in Roger Primm’s dragster,” Capps reflected. “I knew how they felt. I’ve experienced emotions just like when I threw my helmet in Indy after coming so close to winning only to lose.”
In Phoenix, Capps had to own up to his words that he’d put in the face of his NASCAR buddies for years. Capps made it a habit of reminding his oval track buddies that drag racing doesn’t have provisionals – a driver must earn his spot every time.
This time Capps earned the jackpot of Funny Car qualifying.
“The run was badass,” explained Capps. “The clutch came in sooner than it ever had. I was thrown back into the trunk of my [Dodge] Charger. I kept thinking there was no way this run was going to stick. I just had a gut feeling the car was going to pull loose [lose traction]. I just didn’t think the track was that good.
“It just torqued the front end up. I said, ‘oh my gosh’. It just pulled all the way to the lights. I knew it had to be a good run.”
And for Capps, it was more than a run, it was redemption.
BIG OHHHHHHHH – Johnny Gray understands the importance of air time to a sponsor. Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas, during qualifying for the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals, he delivered to sponsor Service Central both figuratively and literally.
During the final qualifying session, Gray’s Funny Car exploded the supercharger, cracking the Dodge Charger body in half, and sending it into the air, higher than the scoreboards. The front end of the carbon fiber body remained attached to the chassis until the car came to a stop in the shutdown area.
The floating body eventually landed safely on the return road.
“The car was on a good run and I had determined, it was either going to go really fast or not make it,” Gray explained. “Then the body flew and I realized we weren’t going to make it. We have struggled but we figured this would get us some television time.”
In reality, Gray has earned plenty of television time by reaching the finals of the last two events in Reading, Pa., and Dallas.
[Top-Bottom Photos - Marty Reger][Right - Roger Richards]
THE FULL MARTY REGER PHOTO SEQUENCE
CALCULATED GAMBLE - Making a drastic change with two races left in the NHRA Countdown is a gamble.
However, it is paying off at the NHRA Big O Tires Nationals for Del Worsham.
Worsham debuted a brand-new chassis on his Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel dragster on Friday, and by Saturday evening he won the pole with a 3.796-second elapsed time at 322.88 mph.
“It feels amazing,” Worsham said. “(Friday night) we were on a great run and we let one get away and just had a little too much. (Friday night) I thought it could have possibly been a 77 or 78. When it cooled down (Saturday) and Alan (Johnson) walked into the trailer with Brian (Husen, Worsham’s crew chief) and myself and said ‘How about if we just run a 3.80 and take the No. 1 spot,’ and I said it sounds good to me if you can do it. He lied, he went 79. What a great run. The car went straight and it has been running great all weekend. It is a brand new chassis this weekend. For the record, I’m not driving (Larry) Dixon’s car, and still running well.”
This is Worsham’s sixth pole of the season and 11th of his career. Worsham’s last No. 1 qualifying spot came at Brainerd, Minn., in August.
Worsham came to Vegas fourth in the point standings 51 behind leader Antron Brown. Now, he heads into Sunday’s eliminations only 38 points back.
“We are trying to make up these little points and there is 20 points a round,” Worsham said. “We have taken from being 51 points out of first place to 38 points and with 20 points a round we kind of gained a round here if you do the points and the math. It is pretty big. If you are 41 points out and you win two more rounds than the other guy he still wins by one. But, if you are 39 points out and you win two rounds, you are No. 1 by one point. Those little points are going to be very important here as the last two races shakedown.”
Nearly the entire season Worsham was atop the point standings, but doesn’t think his team is struggling since he fell to fourth after Phoenix.
“We have run pretty well, we just haven’t won, and when you don’t win people think that you can’t,” Worsham said. “We have won a lot of races this year (six), and the competition is tough. We have made some mistakes and I have made some mistakes, and we just have not ran as good as everybody has seen. Alan (Johnson) made the call to come into this race with a brand new car and I believe in him 100 percent. He has shown me, at least to this point that is the right call.”
SCARY MOMENT - Veteran Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Joe DeSantis was involved in a high-speed accident during the final session of qualifying Saturday afternoon at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.
Right before DeSantis reached the finish line on his run in the left lane, his Suzuki came out from under him. The motorcycle was traveling at nearly 180 mph.
The 69-year-old DeSantis sailed off his motorcycle and tumbled for several seconds before coming to a stop. The NHRA Safety Safari and medical professionals immediately came to tend to DeSantis, who is from Rootstown, Ohio.
DeSantis clocked a 7.196-second time at 179.47 mph. Karen Stoffer was in the right lane and had a 7.145 elapsed time at 189.26 mph.
After several anxious minutes, NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart updated DeSantis’ condition.
“The official word from the top end is that he (DeSantis) is conscious and alert, and is talking to the medical staff and he may have a broken wrist,” Reinhart said. “They are going to transport him (to the hospital).”
DeSantis was transported to University Medical Center for further evaluation. DeSantis’ day job is as a millwright for General Motors.
“I didn’t see what was going on until I actually turned off the return road,” Stoffer said. “I saw the rescue trucks trying to get out and I was kind of blocking them and I hurried up and tried to get around so they could get out and that’s when I heard that something had happened. At the end here, they have a little camera box there, and it showed Joe was down. Thank God he has been up and talking. That’s always a good sign. I’m experienced in trauma here, unfortunately. The hospitals here are good and they are going to get him to a hospital quick. You hate to see any of your comrades, any of friends, and competitors, you hate to see anything happen to them. Luckily, he was handled very quickly, he is talking and he is going to a good hospital. All our prayers and thoughts are out to him and that whole team.”
Back in 2005 at the fall race in Las Vegas, Stoffer had the top of her transporter’s back door strike her in the head. During the accident, Stoffer suffered a broken pelvis, hand, nose and cheekbone. She also had cuts to her head and a dislocated finger.
“It is hard to see fellow riders go down or anybody in the sport go down and get hurt,” said Hector Arana Jr., Pro Stock Motorcycle’s top qualifier. “My prayers go out to Joe.”
WANTED: NEW POINTS SYSTEM - If Don Schumacher Racing driver Jack Beckman had his druthers, the NHRA and its Countdown to the Championship format
would be a bit different.
The Funny Car points leader was listening at once to his head, relying on his statistics-smart instincts, but he also was listening to his heart, his love of the sport. And the Beckman method of calculating points would reflect a more equitable spacing in the order and give a more hopeful outlook for racers outside the top 10 in the standings.
"I was never a fan of these qualifying session bonus points," the Aaron's-Valvoline Dodge Charger driver said during this weekend's Big O Tires Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
"Whether we got all of them or none of them, I think it has absolutely tipped over the proportion of qualifying points to a round win. Qualifying points were always intended to be tiebreaker points. You could literally take 20 points into race day, which is 100 percent of what a round-win is worth.
"I don't get this," he said.
Beckman offered historical perspective.
"Up until 1995, the best you could do for qualifying No. 1 was take eight percent of a round-win into race day. In 1995, when they cut the round points from 200 down to 20, the most qualifying points you could take into race day was 40 percent of a round-win. Today we're at 100 percent," he said.
"It's not that I'm against having qualifying bonus points. It needs to be a realistic percentage of a round-win. It's drag racing. If we're going to give away points for qualifying, we're back to Bonneville. We're just speed trials at this point."
Mark Oswald, Antron Brown's crew chief on the Matco Tools-Aaron's Dragster, called the Countdown "welfare racing," saying, "You earn the points, then they take them away from you." Beckman said he agreed and said he had offered a solution about the resetting of the points after the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis that seemed fair.
Said Beckman, "I had suggested at one time, 'Why don't you cut everybody's points in half after Indy?' There are two big problems, in my eyes, with the points reset. The first is that a person could have earned a 10-round advantage over the person behind him. And now they have a half a round advantage, or in the case of first place, a round and a half.
"Secondly, 11th place can't ever ascend into the top 10. You've created a glass ceiling for them. Now, statistically, they'll say nobody ever came from outside of the top 10 to win the championship. But the 11th-place guy could have finished second or third or fourth or fifth, and that's important to their sponsors," he said. "So maybe if we just cut the points in half, where somebody's got a 10-round lead, they've still got a five-round lead. But 11th through 15th are still very much in contention for a top-10 finish."
"I voiced my opinion to NHRA. They might be willing to look at something there," Beckman said.
"It's interesting. People go through life a little sheepishly at times and say, 'Ah, you know, I don't complain. You just got to make do.' Let me tell you: I don't think Americans are complainers. I think good Americans are people that voice their opinions when they see something that they think is inequitable. They say, 'Hey, I think this can be changed. It can be made better.' "
With an operation as big as the NHRA, plenty of people complain about plenty of topics, but Beckman said he isn't complaining at all.
"I love this sport. I am probably still the biggest fan, and I'm a historian of drag racing. I spent the off-weekend between Phoenix and here up at Bakersfield at the Hot Rod Reunion, surrounded by the true legends and pioneers of the sport. And I want to continue to see our sport thrive," he said.
"And it's a tough balance between a pure sport and pure entertainment. We clearly are a large part of both of those, but we need to keep in mind that the definition of drag racing was for two cars -- with the exception of the first Charlotte race -- to go down the racetrack and one car declared a winner and points to be awarded based on how you've performed throughout the year.
"In the past we got points for low E.T. of the meet, top speed of the meet, E.T. world record, and miles-per-hour world record. But we did away with the miles-per-hour world record when Connie Kalitta went 290 and insurance companies were a little squeamish about having the speed trap 66 feet beyond the finish line. So we shortened that, did away with points for that."
He said he understood the NHRA has all kinds of viewpoints to consider when fashioning its policies but indicated he's optimistic that an open dialog will continue between the NHRA and the racers and team owners.
"The people making decisions aren't making them knee-jerk," he said. "Everything NHRA does is for a reason, and I think that there's respect on both sides. I can respectfully disagree with some of that logic, but I do understand they're using logic. It's a tough call to try to balance everything that they've got to do out there." - Susan Wade
MOTHERHOOD TRUMPS DRIVING - Ashley Force Hood took the 2010 season off from racing in the NHRA nitro Funny Car ranks to have a baby.
Force Hood and her husband Dan Hood, who works on Mike Neff’s crew at John Force Racing, recently welcomed a baby boy, Jacob into the world.
Force Hood and Jacob paid a visit to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway press box Saturday afternoon. Force Hood has been a spectator this season and it looks like she is going to stay in that role in 2012.
“I think next year might be a little too soon with just how little he (Jacob) is and he will be by then,” said Force Hood when asked about her plans for next season. “Our teams are doing real good and I think it would just be too much. I would be too distracted to try to compete and take care of him (Jacob). So, we will see how that goes, but for now we are just going to be fans.”
Jacob, who is 10 weeks old, is attending his second career race this weekend at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals. Jacob also was at the NHRA Arizona Nationals, the previous event before Vegas.
“He doesn’t really seem to mind the races as long as we have his earphones on,” Force Hood said. “I took him in the tow van and he slept through one of the sessions at Phoenix, surprisingly, but that is a good thing. He is also used to the travel and stuff. We also will be at Pomona (Nov. 10-13).”
Force Hood is adjusting to motherhood.
“It is different being here at the track just because I have never been here with a baby before,” Force Hood said. “You are kind of learning everything where you can go and what you need to bring with you, but we are getting the hang of it and it is nice to bring him (Jacob) out here.”
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK
NO MORE SHROUDED CONTROVERSY - The NHRA ruled Thursday afternoon the three Don Schumacher Racing dragsters can have modified shrouds atop their dragsters beginning at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals which began Friday.
“Right now it (the new shroud) it is approved for Vegas and Pomona (Nov. 10-13), and barring anything else it would be approved for all of next year,” Glen Gray, NHRA’s Vice President, Technical Operations told Competition Plus Friday.
Tony Schumacher, Antron Brown and Spencer Massey each had the new shrouds on their DSR dragsters Friday in qualifying The Strip.
On Oct. 14 before qualifying at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Phoenix the NHRA ruled that it was no longer going to allow the shrouds atop the three Don Schumacher Racing dragsters.
“The shroud that they had in Phoenix actually covered the entire roll cage going back and extended beyond the end of the roll cage, several inches behind the roll cage,” said Gray said. “It had a flat top to it that kind of moved downward after it passed the end of the roll cage. So, it was a much bigger shroud.”
According to Gray, the new approved shrouds are smaller than the ones the three DSR dragsters ran for the first 19 races of the 2010 season prior to Phoenix.
“The (new) shroud that we approved (is one) Mike Green (Tony Schumacher’s crew chief) and I have been working on since Phoenix,” Gray said. “I have been over to their (DSR shop) several times because our NHRA technical headquarters is now in Brownsburg (Ind.) and I am five minutes from their DSR shop. We had several conversations last week about it and talked about different things they wanted to do. They fabricated up some pieces that we looked at (Oct. 27). It (the new shroud) basically just covers the open holes that exist in the front half of the roll cage. So, the purpose of that is that it will help keep things out whether it be fire or other debris out of the cockpit, which we think is a great idea from a safety standpoint. But it does not provide any of the aerodynamic benefits that the other (shroud) did in addition to providing some safety features.”
Green didn’t change his stance about what he thought about DSR’s original shroud.
“Like I said before it is a safety thing,” Green said. “I have never said it was an aerodynamic advantage, they (NHRA) have. It is for sure safer with it on there. We said we are going to make another one and try to make you think that it is not an aero advantage but it still has the safety advantages that we want and we built it and they came to our (DSR) shop last week twice. Glen Gray took pictures and we built three of them (one for each of the DSR dragsters) and they gave us the OK to run it Thursday. Vindication would be putting our original one (shroud) back on. That’s what we think should be on there. We think that is the safest thing. Not having anything on there is definitely nothing any of our (DSR) crew chiefs or drivers wanted.”
Todd Okuhara, the co-chief on Massey’s dragster with Phil Shuler, agreed with Green.
“We just want to make these cars as safe as we can and go out there and run,” Okuhara said. “If we didn’t think it was safer (with the shroud) we wouldn’t have modified it to put it back on.”
Mark Oswald, the co-chief on Brown’s dragster with Brian Corradi, kept NHRA’s latest decision about the shrouds in perspective.
“It is a step,” Oswald said. “I’m sure Don (Schumacher) is still going to be pushing for the full version (the original shroud) because we think it is better safety-wise. It is (a lot of controversy) for a little piece of aluminum. Obviously we ran the cars without it (the original shroud) last week (in Phoenix) and all the cars performed well so it kind of proves it is not really a performance advantage.”
The NHRA, after consultation with two aerodynamic specialists, one of whom they compensated, was told the shrouds had no definitive safety attributes [one suggesting it could be dangerous] and could provide a performance advantage. These studies suggested the shroud could deliver undisturbed air directly into the injector for increased horsepower.
Neither study definitely determined a performance advantage.
“They (Don Schumacher Racing) presented a new concept to our tech department over the winter,” said Graham Light, NHRA’s sr. vice president of operations in an interview with Competition Plus Oct. 14. “It was a shroud over the roll cage. Their intent was to shield the driver from fire coming into the cockpit. The whole concept was for that reason. The windshield … the canopy on the top. It was supposedly a safety innovation to help prevent fire from coming into the cockpit. Based on that intent, the NHRA tech department legalized it.
“It came to the tech department’s attention at Indy, by another team that had gone out and got another aerodynamic engineering company to do an evaluation on this, and what affect it has on airflow, over the cockpit, and what if any advantage that was.”
On Friday, Gray explained the differences between the new shroud and old shroud, which was taken off the DSR dragsters.
“It is quite of bit shorter,” said Gray of the new shroud. “Right now there is a shroud that is on the back half of the roll cage that is mandatory for the drivers and it has been there for several years. The front half, and it is probably a little less than half, it’s probably a third of that roll cage was never covered before. So with this piece they (DSR) had before for the first 19 races it covered that, but it also overlapped and went over the top of the existing back half section. What is there now (with the new shroud) it just covers the open section without extending backwards without overlapping the exiting shroud. That was the portion of the shroud that we became aware of that was providing somewhat of an aerodynamic advantage, cleaning the air up back there and making it a little cleaner going into the injector head. It did provide a safety function because it covered those openings, but this solution we think is much better. I wouldn’t be surprised if some other teams maybe moved to this sort of t hing. No other teams have asked us about running them (the new shrouds). If other teams wanted to run the exact same (DSR) designed piece they would be allowed to do it. This is purely safety. It is not providing any competitive advantage or aerodynamic advantage at all.
NHRA based its latest findings on the new shroud after working with the same aerodynamic specialist who was compensated and whose information they used to disallow the original shroud before Phoenix.
“This is an aerodynamic engineer that we contracted to work with us on these things,” Gray said. “The aerodynamic engineer has a lot of experience and is very well respected. He looked at this and said this is not going to provide any aerodynamic advantage and it will help keep debris and other things out of the cockpit. He will be compensated again this time. What we did was we went to DSR’s shop and took pictures of their exiting cockpit without this on. Because the pieces had not been made yet, Mike (Green) and I worked together to describe what it is going to be and I overlayed the picture so that he (the aerodynamic engineer) could look at the piece. The pieces we saw (Thursday) were exactly as we thought they would be.”
Gray said he submitted the pictures he took at the DSR shop last Friday and the aerodynamic consultant had over the weekend to look at them.
“We got his position on it (the new shroud) this past Tuesday,” Gray said. “I flew in Wednesday (to Las Vegas) and all we had to do was look at the final pieces which the team (DSR) was fabricating and we just wanted to take one last look at that and make sure they were as we thought they would be and they were. I looked at them (the new shrouds) Thursday morning (in Las Vegas). I have a director of engineering he was there to look at them and we also have a competition committee group and we had a quick meeting to discuss the findings from our aero expert, and also our opinions after we had seen the actual parts. About 3 p.m. (Pacific Time) Thursday afternoon we had that final discussion and then I went over and told the team that they were approved. Mike (Green) was not here, so I sent him an email telling him they were approved. In my email to Mike (Thursday), I commented to him to please let me know if you are going to make any changes to the piece that we have approved now.”
Green definitely isn’t done with the shroud project.
“We want to make something even safer,” Green said. “I do not know if next year we will run the original one, but we want to make something that works better. We kind of learned this one (the original shroud). This was the first one we ever made and we ran it this year and saw some pressure differences and stuff that we had hoped to learn, and I think we can make a better one. I would look to see us have something different for next year. Now, whether NHRA will allow us to do it that is another question.”
Gray isn’t about to make any decisions on what future shrouds DSR plans on making.
“Not knowing what DSR is proposing and what they are looking at, I can’t really give you an answer on that,” Gray said. “Many of the teams are submitting things to us all the time, and we just have to review them and take a look at them and look at their merits and their advantages and disadvantages.”
CASHING IN ON CONSISTENCY - Throughout the season, Brandon Bernstein has been chasing consistency in his Copart dragster.
Friday night at the NHRA Big O Tires Nationals he caught some.
Bernstein clocked 3.833-second elapsed time at 321.27 mph to capture the provisional pole at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“It felt great. Really, the car didn't seem like it didn't even move,” Bernstein said. “It was a really straight run. At 321, with that kind of speed, you always know it’s a great run – the finish line comes so much quicker. The guys did a great job. The Copart team – we have been trying to focus on making four good runs, good qualifying runs, and then just try to get some round wins on Sunday.
This is a good start for our team, definitely to get No. 1 so far. That morning session (Saturday) is going to be critical. You can swing for the fences on that one, but hopefully it will stand up.”
If Bernstein’s pole holds, it would be his second of the season and 15th of his career.
Bernstein’s last win on the NHRA national circuit came in 2009 at Richmond, Va., so he’s clearly hungry to reach Victory Lane again.
“That is definitely our goal,” said Bernstein, who had a runner-up finish at April’s Vegas race. “Coming into this race we knew there was no way we could win the championship, but we are one of those cars that can definitely run with these guys. Hopefully, we can come out on Sunday and do some damage. You know, I don't like the word spoiler, we're just out here trying to win and trying to get a round win, trying to get two round wins, trying to get three. We're just one of those teams that needs a win. It's not our goal to try to mix everything up; we're out here trying to win. We're not going to come out here and just lay down and let these guys go for the championship. We're definitely going to try our hardest to get a win.”
Grabbing the provisional pole was especially gratifying for Bernstein since on Oct. 1 he had a nasty accident in the third round of qualifying at Reading, Pa.
During that run at the 800-foot mark, the left rear tire blew on his dragster and took out a piece of the left wing. Bernstein’s car veered across the track, but stopped before it hit the wall. Bernstein was unhurt.
“Whenever you have a crash like that and you destroy a race car it’s a lot of work, the guys put a lot of hours in trying to get the spare car exactly how we want it,” Bernstein said. “For it to come out here and qualify number one so far, that is great. It's great for our Copart Team. We really have put a lot of hours in getting the car right. I don't know if it's better. It's still a Murf McKinney chassis just like we were running before. We did all the modifications to make it exactly like the car we were running. I don't know if it's better or worse. It's looking good right now.”
IT HELD UP - Robert Hight was a skeptical No. 1 qualifier in Las Vegas on Friday evening.
The veteran driver of the Auto Club of Southern California Mustang drove his John Force Racing Mustang to a 4.085-second pass at 311.27 miles per hour during first day qualifications at the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His run came during the first of two sessions on Friday.
“That’s one reason I won’t gamble in Las Vegas … because I would have bet anything that run wouldn’t have held,” Hight said. “Jimmy and I were talking and we just hoped to get down the track since we didn’t make it the first time. We just wanted a top four run. That’s where you really need to be on race day and to have lane choice and not be up against one of your teammates.
“There was a lot of good cars behind me. Tomorrow, the conditions are expected to be just as good. We run pretty early. The 4.08 probably isn’t really safe but I will sleep well tonight knowing that we are No. 1. This is the least amount of No. 1’s I’ve had this season.”
If the run holds, it will mark his second No. 1 qualifier of 2011.
“We’ve struggled but still won five races,” said Hight. “What really matters is what you do on Sunday.”
The last Sunday race for Hight in Las Vegas was last April when he beat Johnny Gray to not only win the event but assume the point lead. Hight currently stands 58 points, or three rounds, out of first place with eight rounds of competition left in the 2011 season.
Hight, an avid baseball fan, placed himself in a similar scenario to what the St. Louis Cardinals faced, twice facing seemingly unbeatable deficits to win in extra innings against the Texas Rangers in Thursday’s World Series.
“No matter what happens at this race, as long as I am still mathematically in it, going to Pomona, you look at last night’s world series as to why you never give up,” said Hight. “You don’t ever think you’re out of it. You battle right down to that last stripe. That was what the Cardinals did. That’s the most amazing game I’ve ever watched.”
To see the game down to the last strike, twice, only served as a reminder of a valuable lesson he learned when entering drag racing.
“That’s the kind of lesson that John [Force] taught me about a long time ago,” said Hight. “You never ever think you are out of it. We hope that we don’t come down to that in here in Vegas. As long as we have a legit shot at winning it when we leave here, that’s the right mental attitude for us.
”AND THAT'S NO BULL - There’s never a shortage of entertainment in Las Vegas.
This weekend is no different.
Among countless events in the gambling capital of the world this weekend are the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip and the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series World Finals XVIII at the Thomas & Mack Center. Both events will crown champions on Sunday.
There’s no question driving an 8,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster and Funny Car takes plenty of skill.
Some NHRA stars, however, have no plans of scratching riding a 2,000-pound rank bull of their bucket lists.
“I have never even been near a bull, nevermind been on it,” Bob Tasca III said. “I would imagine it has got to be pretty difficult to ride bulls. I have seen some of it on TV, but I’m going to stick with the Funny Car and let those guys stick with the bulls.”
Veteran Top Fuel racer Cory McClenathan concurred with Tasca. Cory Mac is driving the Rapisarda Racing dragster in Vegas.
“I would have to go with a bull rider,” said McClenathan when asked what is tougher Top Fuel driving or bull riding. “The only time I can equate anything like what they go through is when I had something go like I did in Bristol (in 2006) when the car breaks in half and tries to buck you off. That would equate what they (bull riders) go through every single day. It’s not really the crash that gets you, it is that sudden stop. Would I do it (ride bulls)? I’m not sure.”
The nastiest bulls on the PBR circuit now include “I’m A Gangster,” “Bushwacker,” “Smackdown,” and “Asteroid.”
Spencer Massey, who pilots the Fram/Prestone for Don Schumacher Racing, doesn’t know any of those bulls, but does think bull riders would face a challenge if they got in the cockpit of a Top Fuel dragster.
“Driving a Top Fuel dragster and riding a bull are both tough,” Massey said. “I have never rode a bull, but I have seen a lot of folks do it. I from Fort Worth, Texas, which is the cow town and has the stockyards and a lot of cows and a lot of cattle go through there. But, the 8,000-horsepower of a Top Fuel dragster is out of control. It is like having a whole herd of cattle out there on the starting line. I think those bull riders would have a little trouble with an 8,000-horsepower dragster at 320 mph.”
MISSING IN ACTION, KINDA SORTA - Scott Palmer had every intention of racing his Top Fuel dragster at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals this weekend.
That will not happen though because Palmer damaged his 18-wheel hauler on the way back from the national event at Texas Motorplex in Dallas Sept. 25.
“We were in Oklahoma getting off the turnpike going on to Highway 60 that goes over to our shop in Springfield, Mo.,” Palmer said. “It was about 2:30 or 3 in the morning and we were only about 75 miles from the shop and we were trying to make it back. We just looked up and somebody was in our lane. It was crazy. We pulled over on to the shoulder as far as we could, but it was a two-lane highway. We got over in the dirt and grass. She (another driver in a Ford Taurus) was 100 percent in our lane for a quarter-mile coming toward us. It was crazy. There was nothing we could do. It was like in slow motion. I knew we were going to hit her car and there was just nowhere for us to go. I thought this can’t be happening.”
Unfortunately it was.
“She hit us and it tore the whole side of her car off,” Palmer said. “Her driver-side door was gone. We thought she was hurt real bad or killed, but she came walking up and she didn’t have a scratch on her. I couldn’t believe it. She was probably going 60 mph. I do not know what happened if she was drunk or whatever, and the Oklahoma State Patrol didn’t tell us anything other than she was going to jail. We are lucky it didn’t kill everybody. Fortunately there were no other cars on that road at that time except for her and us. I got out to call the police and a sheriff pulled up (to the accident), and he said he lived two houses down and heard the collision.”
Palmer was driving his hauler and Mike Giaffino Jr. was in the rig with him. Giaffino works on the crew for Sheikh Khalid’s ADRL Pro Mod car and he also works on Frank Manzo’s Top Alcohol Funny Car crew. Giaffino also used to work on Palmer’s Top Fuel dragster.
“The Oklahoma Highway Patrol told me that I wasn’t even mad over what happened,” Palmer said. “I told them I can’t believe the girl walked away from it. I thought I was going to walk up there and see someone killed. So, it is hard to be mad at someone because she is just lucky she walked away from that. Her left front fender was actually in the sheet metal of my trailer when I got back. We had to call roadside assistance and then we also got wheels and tires brought to us and we had to work on the trailer just to get back to the shop the next day.”
Palmer said his 18-wheel rig was covered by insurance and nothing inside the hauler, which was carrying his Top Fuel dragster, was damaged.
“We are waiting on the insurance people to get it all squared away so we can get it fixed,” Palmer said. “It is not terrible. It is not damaged super bad, but it looks bad and I’m just not going to roll into Vegas looking like that. Her car just scraped down the side of the trailer. I’m not going to race my Top Fuel dragster the rest of this season. I’m just getting ready for next season.”
Palmer, however, is at the NHRA’s Las Vegas Nationals, driving Doug Doucette’s Top Alcohol dragster.
“At Dallas I drove his dragster and my Top Fuel car,” Palmer said. “It is hard to do both at the same race. So in a way I’m glad I’m not taking the Top Fuel car because it is just too hard to shuffle back and forth. I think this will be like the fifth race I have driven Doug’s dragster this season. If everything goes good this weekend, I may drive Doug’s car next weekend at the Division 7 race in Las Vegas.”
Palmer’s last race was on Oct. 14-15 when he drove Giaffino’s 1972 Maverick Pro Mod car at the Throw Down in T-Town Pro Mod race at Tulsa Raceway Park.
“We went and ran the last race at Tulsa because that is kind of home track,” Palmer said. “I’m from Oklahoma and going to Tulsa is what got me started. My dad raced there when I was a kid, so I wanted to be at the last race they had.”
HE'S OVER IT - Just when Spencer Massey was setting his sights on NHRA’s Top Fuel world championship, disaster struck in Phoenix.
Massey came to the Arizona Nationals Oct. 14 with a 65-point lead in the point standings and left Firebird International Raceway in third place, 25 points behind leader Antron Brown, his Don Schumacher Racing teammate.
Massey’s fall from the top of the point standings was a result of him failing to qualify his Fram/Prestone dragster. The DNQ was a shock since Massey won the previous national event Oct. 3 at Reading, Pa.
“It was definitely a huge setback,” Massey said. “It is one thing to have a DNQ in the season, but to have it in the Countdown is kind of devastating. At least we had a little bit of cushion (going into Phoenix). We are now only 25 points back, so it is was not totally devastating, but it was a huge loss not to qualify for the Don Schumacher team. Who would have ever thought that?”
Massey admitted he also has had to deal with the mental strain of the Phoenix failure the last two weeks.
“It is tough, especially since when you are talking about winning a championship,” Massey said. “When you are driving a Top Fuel car and the pressure is on in the Countdown like this, this is what it is all about. This is the most pressure you can ever imagine having driving a Top Fuel dragster. You have to tame the horse by controlling an 8,000-horsepower car, but not only that you have to think about the fact that you have a championship on the line and you can’t mess up. If you have a hiccup in the Countdown usually that will put you out, but luckily we had a little bit of a points lead where we are still OK. It would have been nice if we could have gone some rounds (in Phoenix) and come into Vegas with a really big cushion like (Pro Stock driver) Jason Line (who has a 188-point lead), that would have been awesome. But hey, that’s too easy. Nobody likes it that easy. Let’s have a good story and a good race to the Countdown and let’s see what happens at Pomona.”
Prior to the season-ending NHRA Finals at Pomona Nov. 10-13, Massey and his team return to action this weekend at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip, where Massey believes he will change his luck.
“We packed up and left Phoenix Sunday (Oct. 16) and came to Vegas and tested Monday (Oct. 17), and we figured out our problem,” said Massey, who has four event wins in seven final round appearances this season. “We are very pleased now. The first time we unloaded it (for the test) in Vegas we thought we knew what the problem was and we hit the race track and (the dragster) went A to B just like it has all season long. You should have seen the crew guys and myself at the top end (of the track), we were celebrating like we just won a race. The Safety Safari folks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway were laughing at us because we were celebrating like we had won a race.”
breast cancer with a special “pink out” paint scheme this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it was announced today. The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series is at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the 11th Annual NHRA Big O Tires Nationals.With National Breast Cancer Awareness Month ending on Monday, the Al-Anabi Racing Top Fuel dragsters driven by 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon and his teammate, Del Worsham, will sport a special pink paint scheme with pink spill plates and the familiar pink ribbon representing breast cancer awareness. Spill plates are the end caps on both the front and rear wings. In addition, the Al-Anabi Racing autograph handout cards will be pink this weekend.
The Al-Anabi team efforts are in addition to those of Las Vegas Motor Speedway where the starting-line area received a coat of bright pink paint for the event. All drivers and riders participating in the NHRA Big O Tires Nationals will be invited to affix a pink ribbon breast cancer awareness decal to their helmets and well as their cars and motorcycles. Volunteers will sell pink ribbons to the fans, who are invited to write the names of a person they know is affected by breast cancer. The ribbons will be prominently displayed at the track and all proceeds will be donated to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.
The American Cancer Society website says that more than 230,480 invasive cases of breast cancer, more than 57,650 cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS, a non-invasive and the earliest form of breast cancer), and about 39,520 deaths in women will occur from breast cancer in the United States in 2011. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer.
The disease hits close to home with the Al-Anabi team and team manager Alan Johnson. His sister, Pam, was treated for breast cancer in 2007 and is currently fighting a recurrence of the disease. Pam will attend this weekend’s NHRA Big O Tires Nationals in Las Vegas to take part in the breast cancer awareness activities.
“As a survivor continuing my journey with the disease, I have personally benefited from important medical advances that helped locate my cancer at an early stage and then treat my cancer, giving me hope and courage to fight,” Pam Johnson said. “But in 2007 it was my attention to “awareness” that helped me to find a lump, and my journey as a breast cancer survivor began. Bringing awareness to the benefits of early detection and treatment of breast cancer makes a difference; it did for me, and my message to women has been to not let fear of finding a lump keep them from the commitment to self exams and diagnostic testing.
“The focused attention to breast cancer awareness in this country and internationally has also played a critical role in support of funding new research that will continue to improve diagnosis and treatment, get closer to a cure and ultimately prevent breast cancer.”
“The thing I promote most is early detection and diagnosis gives people a better chance to fight the disease,” Pam Johnson said. “Women and men are taught how to find a lump in their bodies, not be afraid and get treatment. The more awareness there is the better chance people have of surviving, but the ultimate goal is the cure or finding a way to prevent the disease.”
Massey said his team made a total of five test runs at The Strip on Oct. 17, and no other Top Fuel teams were testing at the facility.
“You have to say we have a one-up on the rest of the Top Fuel field because we have already ran here,” Massey said. “We figured it out the first run and we triple checked and double checked and we did exactly what we needed to do on all five runs. We have that under our belt and hopefully we can use that to capitalize this weekend.”
The NHRA ruled Friday Oct. 14 before qualifying at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Phoenix it was no longer going to allow the shrouds atop the Don Schumacher Racing dragsters, but Massey said that decision had no impact on his dragster’s poor Phoenix effort.
“The headshield (shroud) had nothing to do with the way the car performed,” Massey, 29, said. “It was one of those things where NHRA made the call, and it happened to be at the time where we couldn’t get down the race track. They didn’t have anything to do with one another. It was one of those things where we missed the tune-up all four times.”
Massey says he has put Phoenix in his rear-view mirror and is focused on capturing a Top Fuel title.
“This is what I have always dreamed of doing to beat Larry Dixon and to beat Tony Schumacher,” Massey said. “Nothing against those guys, but they are the people I have watched in my history of watching drag racing and they have won like the last 10 titles in a row between them. It would simply be amazing (to win it), and it is amazing to still have a shot at it right now.”
Dixon was NHRA’s Top Fuel champ in 2002, 2003 and 2010, while the Sarge won in 1999 and 2004-2009. Dixon is currently second in the point standings, 20 back of Brown. Schumacher is fifth, 91 points behind Brown.
Although Massey is only in his second full season of competing in NHRA’s Top Fuel ranks, he does have experience of dealing with late season championship pressure. Massey competed full time for Don Prudhomme in 2009 and finished sixth in the points. Massey returned to NHRA this season when he replaced Cory McClenathan at DSR.
“Back in 2008, I was in this position before,” Massey said. “I had a shot for the championship in IHRA and it came down to the last race with Bruce Litton, and Mitch King and our team ended up prevailing. So, I treat this all the same way.”
“Rogue Status is a cutting edge brand and we are thrilled that they have decided to team up with Snap-on, the most innovative tool company in the world, to create this unique design for the Snap-on Funny Car,” said Kai Kazarian, manager of sales communications for Snap-on Tools. “With Cruz in the hunt for the NHRA Funny Car championship, we know a lot of people will be on hand to check out this awesome Rogue Status design on display in Vegas.”
“As some of the guys on my crew might say, we are ‘stoked’ to have the Rogue Status wrap on the Snap-on Funny Car in Las Vegas,” said Pedregon. “Snap-on and the team at Rogue Status have created a cool and unique design for our car and we can’t wait to hit the starting line at the Strip and hopefully race to victory in the Snap-on Rogue Status Funny Car.”
Snap-on and Rogue Status have also teamed up to create four, limited edition “Graphix Series” skins for Snap-on tool storage units. Rogue Status’ signature “Gunshow” design has been modified featuring the silhouettes of several Snap-on tools and is available in three colors: extreme green, white and electric orange. The fourth tool storage skin features the famous Rogue Status “Don’t Trust Anyone” (DTA) design.
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