EVENT NEWS EVENT NOTEBOOK POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS FINAL ROUND RESULTS			EVENT GALLERY

SUNDAY NOTEBOOK -

UP, DOWN AND UP AGAIN - The Gatekeeper, a roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, stands on record as the highest roller coaster in the world at 170 feet tall.

For Funny Car racer Ron Capps, his last three races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing scene have left him feeling like he's taken a ride on the revered machine.

Capps won the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, only to DNQ the following weekend at the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, Wash. Then, on Saturday afternoon, at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., the Napa Auto Parts-sponsored driver turned his Dodge Charger Funny Car body into confetti at the completion of a qualifying run.

As in the case with most rollercoasters, when the track takes a plunge downward, it is soon followed by an upward trajectory.

Let the record reflect that Capps was on a clear upward trend as he defeated point leader Matt Hagan in the Brainerd final round to capture his third win of the season and No. 41 of his career.

Capps' ran a 4.063-second elapsed time at 312.28 mph to drive around Hagan's 4.095 and win by one-thousandth of a second. In his four race-day passes Capps ran between 4.054 and 4.073 seconds.

"That's the nature of our sport," Capps said following his victory. "It is for sure in the Funny Car division. I was looking at the clinching board and if I had won second round, I knew I would have gotten the opportunity to put my name up there. I looked over at Top Fuel and half of the field was already clinched [for the Countdown] in Sonoma and by the time we got here [in Brainerd] we were already clinched. Funny Car had one guy, Matt Hagan, coming in. It's so incredibly tight."

In winning Sonoma, Capps vaulted from fourth in the points up to second. He dropped one spot with the Seattle DNQ.

“I say it each year, this class gets tougher and tougher. I wish some of these guys would go over to Top Fuel and get out of Funny Car,” Capps said with a chuckle. “It’s a fun class but that final round epitomizes the way our category is right now.

“You have to be on your absolute best and I wasn’t today as a driver. [Crew chief Rahn] Tobler made up for it.”

Winning the final round marked Capps’ 499th round win.

“It seems like you are talking about someone else,” said Capps, who admits he cannot believe the number. “When I started out, Funny Car had Etchells, Skuza, the Hofmanns, and Force was just winning everything. You had to respect your elders or you’d be taken out in the field and whupped. That’s just the way it was. Some of these guys coming in now have no idea what it was like when I came in as a rookie.”

And for Capps, you remember those experiences when you’re on a rollercoaster ride.

MASSEY BREAKS BRAINERD FUNK - Before this weekend, Spencer Massey had no luck competing in the Top Fuel class at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway.

He had zero round wins at BIR, but his fortunes changed Sunday as he beat Clay Millican to capture the Lucas Oil Nationals title.

Massey clocked a 3.811-second elapsed time at 322.11 mph to edge Millican’s 3.856-second lap.

“Clay was No. 1 qualifier and that car has been hauling butt all season long, especially here lately,” Massey said. “We didn’t have lane choice and it was one of those things where the right lane didn’t seem to be as good as the left lane. We were trying to fight where we were going to stage the car in the final round. I had to stage the car way to the left and aim it toward the wall at the 330 (foot mark) and drive back into the groove, and luckily it stuck. We haven’t had any luck here even going back to 2009 when I was with Don Prudhomme. I lost in the first round. Alcohol dragster I won here in 2007, but you are racing Top Fuel, so it doesn’t really matter, because it is a different category. My goal (Sunday) was just to get out there and get my first round win at Brainerd.”

This was Massey’s fourth win of the season and he moved up to second in the point standings. Shawn Langdon (1370) is the point leader, followed by Massey at 1249. Massey, who drives for Don Schumacher Racing, beat Brittany Force, Tony Schumacher and Khalid alBalooshi before ousting Millican.

“First round, we had a little bit of a fire,” said Massey about his win over Force. “It kind of burned off everything from the driver’s compartment back. We had to replace every line, the parachutes got burned off it and I even sliced my thumb trying to work on the car. It was a good show for the fans and for TV and it makes it that much better when you get the round win. Every round was just tough. When I race Tony (Schumacher) or Antron (Brown), my DSR teammates, I get more fired up to race those guys than almost anybody else because I know those guys are going to be on their game on the starting line and the cars are going to run just like my car does. I want to beat him (Schumacher) almost as much as anybody else out there because he is second in points. He is a tough guy to beat and he has won tons of championships. If you want to try and get close and be a champion you have to be able to beat a champion.”

This was the sixth time this season DSR won Top Fuel and Funny Car titles at the same NHRA national event.

“Don has great teams,” Massey said. “He puts together a great organization with all the teams he has. I’m very honored to be able to be in this spot and to be able to drive for such a man like Don Schumacher.”

EDWARDS' MINI SLUP OVER - Mike Edwards’ slump became a distant memory Sunday.

Edwards, who struggled during the three-race Western Swing, returned to the winners circle at the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway.

Edwards clocked a 6.629-second elapsed time to defeat V. Gaines’ 6.665-second lap. This was Edwards’ first career win at BIR.

“It was pretty disappointing,” said Edwards about the Western Swing where he had just four round wins. “It was awesome (winning at Brainerd). I don’t think I have got past the second round (at Brainerd) to tell you the truth. It has been pretty miserable here. We weren’t that fast, but we just stuck around and here we are. It was a great job by my guys. It seems like we are off a tick somewhere, but hopefully we can find it. To be in the final with my buddy V. Gaines was pretty special.”

This was Edwards’ fifth win of the season and 39th of his career. Up next for Edwards is the U.S. Nationals Aug. 28-Sept. 2 at Indianapolis followed by the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs which begin Sept. 13-15 at Charlotte, N.C.

Edwards, who won the 2009 Pro Stock world championship, is in first in the point standings with 1,540, well in front of second-place Allen Johnson (1390).

“The team is,” said Edwards when asked about his team being ready for the Countdown. “The driver needs to get better. We need to be a little bit faster. It is going to be anybody’s race. All 10 drivers have a chance to win the thing. I hate the Countdown right now. I wish we would keep going like this. Hey, you know it’s good for the fans. I don’t like it, but it’s cool.”

Before Indy, Edwards will have no time to celebrate his Brainerd win.

“It is non-stop,” Edwards said about his schedule. “We are going home and getting the Interstate (Batteries) wrap on the car and then going to St. Louis. We’ll run there for three or four days and then go to Indy.”

Besides beating Gaines, Edwards’ second biggest win Sunday came when he defeated reigning Pro Stock world champ Allen Johnson in the second round.

“They’re all important, but any time you can beat the world chump, champ, that’s what Allen would say, chump,” Edwards said. “To beat those two guys (Johnson) and (Vincent Nobile, in the semis) was pretty special.”

Edwards has qualified No. 1 at 12 national events this season, but he was fourth on the ladder at Brainerd and he wasn’t brimming with confidence Sunday.

“We fought ignition problems (Saturday),” said Edwards, who has won at every NHRA track on the national circuit except Epping, N.H. “We weren’t sure exactly what was going to happen (Sunday). We couldn’t find anything wrong and the ignition was doing all kinds of crazy stuff. So, we swapped everything we could think of. We changed engines. We changed everything. We were decent, but we weren’t as fast as we needed to be, but we were still able to come away with the win.”  

STANFIELD BACK IN THE GAME - When veteran Pro Stock driver Greg Stanfield left the Route 66 Nationals June 30 in Chicago, he was unsure what his next race would be.

That changed a couple of weeks ago when he received a phone call from Forrest Lucas.

“Forrest Lucas stepped up to help us,” Stanfield said. “He is going to help us finish the rest of the year. That was very good news. We weren’t expecting it, but it was a good call. We would not be here if it wasn’t for him.”

This season, Stanfield joined the Lucas Oil Racing Family as his Chevy Camaro is sponsored by MAVTV/Lucas Oil.

Stanfield began the season by competing at the first eight events on the schedule and then he ran Bristol (Tenn.) and Chicago. He made his return to the track at the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway this weekend.

Stanfield qualified No. 13 at BIR and lost to point leader Mike Edwards in round one Sunday. Stanfield clocked a 6.660-second time at 206.26 mph. Edwards got to the finish line first at 6.601 seconds.

“We are working on some stuff, but we just don’t have it done yet,” said Stanfield, who has been chasing power with his own engine program. “This is stuff we have been running for a while. I hope we will have some new stuff. We are working on it. We will see what happens with it. (Hopefully) by Indy or Charlotte I would say.”

The U.S. Nationals are Aug. 28-Sept. 2 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. The six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin Sept. 13-15 in Charlotte.

“We were planning on just running Indy and St. Louis (Sept. 27-29), and Dallas (Sept. 19-22) and now we get to run all of it and that’s big,” Stanfield said. “Big thanks to him (Forrest Lucas). It is hard to race part-time with these guys. You can tell, we sat out four races and we are behind and we are fighting it. I’m happy. Hopefully we can capitalize on it and get him a win. Our main goal is to try and get qualified at every race and try to go some rounds and maybe get lucky on race day. There are a lot of fast cars out here and we just need to have some luck.”

Stanfield also is already working on things for 2014.

“We are going to finish this year and we are looking at some stuff for next year,” Stanfield said. “We will just have to see what happens. We can’t say right now. It absolutely helps that we are finishing this season. I’m very thankful for what he (Lucas) is doing for us and J.D. and Teresa Coffman are also big supporters for us. We just have to capitalize on this.”

BRITTANY FORCE WILL NOT HAVE CANOPY AT INDY: Ever since Brittany Force made her inaugural test laps in her John Force Racing Top Fuel dragster in January at Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway her dragster was equipped with a canopy.

Beginning at the Mile-High Nationals July 19 at Denver, Force began driving without a canopy on her Castrol Edge dragster. She will continue to drive without the canopy at least through the U.S. Nationals Aug. 28-Sept. 2 at Indianapolis.

“We were hoping by Indy (to have the canopy back), but we don’t think it will happen by then,” Courtney Force said Sunday at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway. “We will definitely go back to the canopy. I feel safer with it and I am used to running with it. It is a lot different (without the canopy). I can see all the sky. I’m more comfortable with the canopy on.”

Brittany lost in the first round Sunday at Brainerd to eventual winner Spencer Massey.

MARTINO SHOCKS COUGHLIN: Part-time NHRA Pro Stock competitor Mark Martino was able to turn some heads by beating Jeg Coughlin on a holeshot in the first round of Pro Stock Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway.

Martino clocked a 6.647-second elapsed time at 207.88 mph to defeat Coughlin’s faster 6.644-second lap at 207.40 mph.

The difference came at the starting line. Martino had an .016 reaction time compared to Coughlin’s .092 time.

Coughlin, a four-time Pro Stock world champion, and star Sportsman racer, has lost races in his career, but rarely on a holeshot.

The first round of Top Fuel eliminations began at 11 a.m. Central time Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway, but things didn’t run smoothly.

DELAY OF GAME: The first pair on the track was Steve Torrence against Tommy Johnson Jr. Torrence and Johnson Jr. each did their burnouts in their dragsters and backed up. With Torrence and Johnson Jr. at the starting line Mark Lyle, the NHRA chief starter, shut the dragsters off because of problems at the starting line.

“There is a group of connecters that go to the (Christmas) tree and they parallel off and go to ESPN for the tree data for their TV show,” said Bob Brockmeyer, the Compulink founder, in a phone interview with Competition Plus Sunday. “The connecters were dirty or a loose circuit or something happened. They cleaned those and reseeded those connecters. The (Compulink) timing system was fine.”

Back in 1984, Brockmeyer introduced the CompuLink Timing Systems at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo. CompuLink remains NHRA’s official timing equipment provider. CompuLink is based in Silverthorne, Colo.

Torrence and Johnson sat at the starting line for 14 minutes while the problems were fixed.

“This is certainly not the routine that we are used to, but that’s the situation we are in,” said Lee Beard, Torrence’s crew chief, during the delay. “I have been here before and you know the best thing to do is just refire them and we will stage and go. I think to go to the back of the line and do another burnout may affect the clutch discs a little bit so I would rather just run it the way it is right now.”

When Torrence and Johnson did fire back up, Torrence won with a 3.802-second elapsed time at 323.43 mph. Johnson clocked a 3.866-second lap in the loss.

“When you sit back there in the tow vehicles waiting before the run you are concentrating and thinking about the job you have to do,” Torrence said moments after his win. “When that light comes on it doesn’t need to be a thought process you need to react, you are in the zone. There’s nothing like going up there and the light is not working and they are shutting you off. Then you think the lights are fixed again and they put the box on it and it quit working again. It is definitely mentally taxing to be in there doing that, but I have a lot of faith in the Capco guys. They give me a pretty good race car and I didn’t worry about it and I just tried to do my job and it paid off (Sunday).”

Following Torrence’s victory, there was another six-minute delay at the starting line before Shawn Langdon raced against Bob Vandergriff Jr. Langdon won with a 3.794-second lap.

ADD AREND TO DISABLED LIST - A freak Friday night accident at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway sidelined nitro Funny Car driver Jeff Arend Sunday.

Arend, who is in his first year driving Jim Dunn’s Grime Boss-sponsored entry, fractured his right heel bone in three places following Friday qualifying at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

Arend, who qualified No. 12 at 4.109 seconds, was supposed to race No. 5 qualifier Tim Wilkerson in first round. Instead Wilkerson received a bye.

“First off, we feel bad for Jeff, and Big Jim (Dunn, Arend’s team owner),” said Wilkerson to Competition Plus Sunday morning. “They have sponsors, too. That’s our biggest concern that we need every sponsor in this sport happy, including mine. Last week (at Seattle Aug. 4) I screwed up and had a red light against (Bob) Tasca (in the semifinals) and this week I get a bye. Maybe what comes around goes around every once and awhile. I feel bad for Jeff and Jim really because they have sponsors to take care of, too, and win lose or draw it helps me no doubt about it, but it is not good for those guys.”

Arend’s mishap was first reported by Competition Plus Saturday.

On Friday night, Arend scaled a locked gate in an attempt to reach his rental car and landed the wrong way on his foot, fracturing his heel bone in three places.

“It wasn’t as exciting of a story as you would expect in Brainerd. We were leaving the track at a reasonable hour and they always lock that gate,” Arend explained. “So we climbed the fence, which was about eight feet high, and when I came down, I guess I just landed the wrong way.”

Arend raced all day Saturday with the undiagnosed injury. He said because the injury didn’t displace any bones, he confirmed through the attending physician that surgery won’t be required.

Arend came to Brainerd 13th in the point standings. His season round record dropped to 2-16.

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - IT'S A ZOO OUT THERE!

COUNTDOWN TICKETS PUNCHED - After all the qualifying sessions were completed Saturday evening at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway, a handful of drivers received a welcome surprise.

Top Fuel drivers Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta and Khalid alBalooshi all clinched spots in the six-race Countdown to the Championship Playoffs, which begin Sept. 13-15 in Charlotte, N.C.

Likewise, Pro Stock drivers Erica Enders-Stevens and V. Gaines also punched their Countdown tickets.

TOP FUEL

MILLICAN REMAINS THE NO. 1 TO BEAT - Clay Millican’s record-tying Top Fuel lap Friday at Brainerd International Raceway could not be matched be any of his competitors Saturday.

As a result, Millican, the driver of the Parts Plus dragster, won the pole for the Lucas Oil Nationals with his track-record tying 3.773-second elapsed time at 326.63 mph.

Millican also proved Friday’s run was no fluke as he had the best run of the fourth qualifying session at 3.806 seconds.

“I tell you the car has been really good all weekend,” said Millican, who joined Bob Vandergriff Jr.’s Racing team in the offseason. “It has been down the race track every single lap during qualifying and I mean every one of them was a good lap. The bonus points (he picked up eight in qualifying) all really, really add up because we are in the eighth spot in points. I’m happy. Kurt (Elliott, Millican’s crew chief) and Rob (Flynn, Vandergriff’s crew chief), work together so well. This car is pretty solid right now. It is just crazy. Had I have been able to keep the car a little straighter on the 77, it probably would have went 76. We continue to work on a few things with the chassis, and the two runs (Saturday) it went nice and straight. That Parts Plus car is rolling right now.”

Millican shares the BIR elapsed time record with Khalid alBalooshi, who recorded his 3.773 run last August. Vandergriff qualified No. 13 at 3.845 seconds. Millican faces Terry McMillen in Sunday’s first round.

“I know that I just feel good,” Millican said. “I’m the world’s worst about looking back and remembering a weekend. I’m always amazed that somebody like Big Daddy Don Garlits could tell you a story that happened in 1962. Maybe when I get in a rocking chair and I’m hanging out I will just make some stories up because I have had too much tire shake. I don’t retain any of that information. I know all year we have had a really good car. We have had a couple of little hiccups here and there during the season. It is just running really, really good. I’m sitting in a good spot for (Sunday), but we have seen a lot of No. 1 qualifiers go out first round. What we did already in qualifying doesn’t really matter. Now what matters is first round (Sunday).”

Millican’s No. 1 qualifying spot is the second of his career and also his second this season. Millican won the pole position at Englishtown (N.J.) May 30-June 2.

Millican, who is a six-time IHRA world champ, has yet to win an NHRA race. Millican made his NHRA debut in 1998 at Chicago and he has had six runner-up finishes.

“I got my picture made with a Wally (Saturday morning),” Millican said. “He was a full life size Wally and he won the contest over in the zoo this weekend. I had him come over into the pit area and I got my photo made with the Wally by the race car. I couldn’t pick him up though and hold him. I want to hold one Sunday afternoon. It is an actual person. It is the most amazing costume you have ever seen. We have done a lot of cool things, but I have just not won one of these races. Now, I have been the No. 1 qualifier a couple of times. I have been in the sport and out of the sport. It is my whole life. This is all I do. I don’t have another job, any other business, and I have to make this work. Right now things are working pretty good.”

BEARD KNOWS BRAINERD - Some NHRA crew chiefs are making their inaugural appearances at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway this weekend.

Lee Beard doesn’t fit in that category.

Beard, a world championship crew chief and team manager, made his first appearance at BIR in 1971 when he was a crew member for Ed Renck’s front-engine Top Fuel dragster team based out of Pueblo, Colo.

“I was a senior in high school and I came here with Ed Renck. It was a Division V race. It (Brainerd International Raceway) really hasn’t changed much at all,” Beard said with a laugh.

Beard is making his first appearance with Steve Torrence’s Top Fuel team at Brainerd. Beard joined Torrence in early May after leaving the Rapisarda team led by Australian crane mogul Santo Rapisarda and his sons, Santo Jr. and Santino.

Torrence faces Tommy Johnson Jr., who has been driving for the Rapisarda team since July 15, in the first round. Torrence qualified No. 8 and Johnson Jr. qualified No. 9.

Johnson beat Torrence in the first round at the Sonoma (Calif.) NHRA Nationals on July 28.

More importantly, Torrence is fighting for a Countdown spot as he presently holds down the final No. 10 spot. NHRA’s regular season ends at the U.S. Nationals (Aug. 28-Sept. 2). The six-race Countdown to the Championship Playoffs begin Sept. 13-15 at Charlotte, N.C.

“We are not in a comfortable positon,” Beard said. “We have to run well here (at Brainerd) and in Indy and at least hold our ground.”

Following the Brainerd race Sunday, Torrence will debut a new dragster at the test session at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis Wednesday and Thursday.

“It is a Brad Hadman chassis,” Beard said. “He delivered it to us Monday (Aug. 5) after the Seattle race. We went back to Indy and put it together. It is setting upstairs in the trailer ready to go as a back-up car if we needed it. When we get to Indy next week, we will switch cars and run that one.”

Rumor is Billy Torrence, Steve’s father, might soon get a Top Fuel license and run as his son’s teammate with another Capco Racing/Torrence Motorsports dragster. Steve, however, would not address that rumor.

“As for any of the other stuff I don’t want to say anything about it just yet,” Steve said.

AL-ANABI PERFORMS - Al-Anabi Racing teammates Khalid alBalooshi and Shawn Langdon qualified third and fourth in Top Fuel to lead Toyota in qualifying for Sunday’s Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway at Brainerd, Minn. 

Both drivers were consistently fast over the course of the weekend with alBalooshi topping two of the four sessions, while Langdon earned top-three bonus points in a pair of sessions. Langdon will take a 151-point lead in the championship race into tomorrow’s eliminations. If he can maintain that advantage, he will clinch the top spot for the upcoming Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

GOING FOR THREE - Morgan Lucas will seek his third straight final-round appearance and second straight Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals victory from the No. 12 position on Sunday.

Lucas had a best lap of 3.834-seconds at 303.98 mph to get the 12th spot on the ladder.  

CHAMP BACK ON TRACK? - Antron Brown qualified No. 6 for eliminations Sunday, the second consecutive event when the Matco team with crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald has qualified sixth and the fourth time in the past five events the Matco team has entered eliminations in the top seven.

After winning two of the season's first seven event titles, the team began testing new parts and combinations and was mired in a midseason slump, falling to fifth in the standings.

"We just have been working at it and picking it up a little at a time," said Brown, who Saturday earned the fourth spot in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff.

Brown opens Sunday's eliminations against Doug Kalitta, who is ranked one spot behind him in fifth. The winner of the opening-round race determines fourth or fifth place in the standings.

FUNNY CAR

NEW PIPE, TOP SPOT FOR THE CHAMP - Jack Beckman described his Saturday afternoon 4.038-second elapsed time at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals as a pleasant surprise. The run vaulted him from No. 11 into his tenth career pole position.

This marks the second consecutive event where Beckman will lead the Funny Car field into Sunday eliminations as the top seed. All of this was done with a car he described as “off-chart.”

“It’s a brand new car and a brand new fuel pump,” Beckman explained. “When you do that, and we have a tune-up chart, and it’s not that you can dial-in what you want the car to run. You know to run a 4.07, it takes these timers in the fuel management system, and this much compression ratio. So when you dial all of this stuff in when the car is predictable you are pretty close to that.

“When you go brand new pipe, and you throw in a new fuel pump it takes them off-chart for a few runs. I’m very happy with off-chart.

Beckman is no stranger to breaking in new cars at the Brainerd event, the next-to-last event in the regular season. He came to the event last season with a freshly front-halved chassis.

“It’s exactly according to plan,” Beckman said with a smile. “If you had interviewed me last year, any time before, with Ron Capps losing in the semis, nail-biting … and while we were positive and had high hopes, we had no idea that this was going to end up being the championship team.”

Beckman has had his struggles this season, and while his season couldn’t be considered a bad one, the lack of a national event win has weighed heavy on him. During Seattle, Beckman quipped he’d be willing to give up the points and Traxxas Showdown berth; he and his team merely wanted a trophy.

“I truly thought we’d have at least one win by now,” said Beckman. “We have only one final, and it has been frustrating and disappointing. A lot of times this would force you to look in areas where you wouldn’t normally look. Sometimes it takes you down a road which doesn’t pay off. We’re pretty sure what we need to do to fix the car to get it back to where it was last year. We believe our timing was right with bringing out the new car here.”

Beckman believes having Brainerd, the Indianapolis test and then the NHRA US Nationals as break-in races will help once the Countdown begins in September.

“By that time, we ought to have great data on this chassis,” said Beckman. “Our plan is to do exactly what we did last year, minus the Thursday blow up.”

Beckman will face Bob Bode in the first round of Sunday’s final eliminations.

CAPPS TALKS ABOUT HIS FIERY EXPLOSION - This was a wild ride Ron Capps wasn’t expecting Saturday.

The veteran driver of the NAPA Dodge for Don Schumacher Racing walked away from a fiery engine explosion during the third round of qualifying at the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway.

“Everything worked perfect,” Capps said about the safety devices on his car. “All this means a lot more now after going through what we did with Johnny’s (Gray’s) car. On our particular bodies, the way they are designed it is good that the tethers were not on. Everybody agreed after Johnny’s explosion that the body needs to be securely latched in the front. It was as big of a bomb or explosion as my Dallas explosion except the body went away, which was perfect. That Dallas explosion for me was horrific because the body pinned me in there. The pieces came back and I couldn’t move.”

Back in 2002, Capps was racing his nitro Funny Car against his Skoal Racing teammate, Tommy Johnson Jr., in the first round of the O'Reilly Fall Nationals in Dallas when an intake valve retainer broke, triggering the blast. Capps walked away with a headache and sore knees from the explosion.

“It burned the front of my visor pretty good and my ears are ringing, but I don’t have a headache or anything,” Capps said following his most recent crash. “Everything worked perfect I will be honest with you. I really wasn’t scared. I have gone in Turn 3 at Eldora (Speedway in Ohio) with Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch all around me wide open in a dirt Late Model not letting up. If that doesn’t scare you I don’t know what will. I have been through this enough times. It just looked worse. It really wasn’t that bad. The concussion is what gets you.”

Shortly after Capps’ explosion, Don Schumacher spoke with Competition Plus.

“I don’t know what caused it,” Schumacher said. “It was something in the valve train. The top part of the motor, the short block is fine. We could probably even run it again, but we are not going to so we are changing out the short block. It was something on the top of the motor. That’s all we can identify at this point. We have no idea why or when or what may have broken to cause it to take the top of the motor off.”

The engine in Johnny Gray’s DSR nitro Funny Car exploded during the second round of NHRA’s Sonoma (Calif.) Nationals on July 28.

Gray was the first driver to experience a major engine failure since the NHRA mandated the use of Funny Car body tethers at the Mile-High Nationals July 19. The tethers are designed to keep bodies from leaving the chassis in case of engine explosions. This new safety implementation was inspired when driver Robert Hight launched a carbon fiber body into the grandstands at zMax Dragway (Concord, N.C.) during the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals last April 20. The dual front latching on the nitro Funny Cars has remained mandatory since the Mile-High Nationals.

“On our particular body I was glad tethers weren’t on there,” Capps said. “The Toyota is made differently and the Ford body is made differently and under the same concussion if you put them side-by-side-by-side, they would all come apart in different ways. Just because ours doesn’t need it (tethers) doesn’t mean the Toyota does or doesn’t or the Ford. Just the way ours are designed it is just a different style body and in our particular case, to be honest, I was worried when I was slowing down I didn’t want to hurt John (Force), but I was worried where the back half of the body went and they told me it flipped right on the track and didn’t go anywhere and that’s exactly what we want to happen. It split it at the a-pillar and it kept the front on it and took the rear off. It worked exactly like it should have. You can’t believe how happy I am about the way it came off.”  

Capps, who was in the right lane, was headed straight down the track and at about the 900-foot mark his engine exploded and disintegrated the back half of the body and sent pieces flying up in the air behind the car. Capps clocked a 4.128-second elapsed time at 269.03 mph. John Force was in the left lane against Capps. Capps came back for the fourth qualifying session but his Dodge smoked the tires early and slowed to a 6.877 seconds.

“When it happened it took me a minute to kind of figure out what happened, where I was,” Capps said. “At that point, the fire was all around my head. I was worried I just got a new Impact helmet and I was worried about the visor flipping up like people have had an issue with and it stayed sealed. I was just looking at fire. It was all around my visor and I thought this is perfect - it is working. Gary Beck had taught me when I was rookie in Top Fuel (in 1995) the first thing you do is reach wherever the fuel shutoff is if you are upside down on fire or whatever. I reached down and it was already off. I praise Dave Leahy (the president of Electrimotion) and NHRA for that auto shut-off. I don’t care how other drivers feel about it. I knew the chutes were out and the fuel was already off and I was slowing down. I am a perfect example of what all the fuss has been about for two months. Besides thanking Leahy and NHRA I have to thank Johnny Gray for stepping up and being vocal about the tethers and the safety. I w
as safer in that whole thing than I am getting out here on highway 371 in my rental car, in spite of how bad it might have looked.”

After the initial craziness of Capps’ explosion, he was thankful for how his Funny Car body reacted in the explosion.

“The best part was when the fire went away and I looked around the back part of the body was gone, but I had the front on and I could steer with the down force with the front piece being on,” Capps said.  “It was perfect. It was like being in a dirt car at Eldora. I had control of the front end where I wanted to drive and I didn’t want to hurt (John) Force. When the fire went away and I saw where he was. I started to veer off. I knew the trucks couldn’t pull out and I could see them down there on his side, but he wasn’t slowing down for them to pull out and come to me. I just let go of the brake and I stuck my arm out like a blinker just telling him to kind of slow down so I could get over and I eased my way over and I drove right up in front of the trucks right where the fire extinguisher was so they didn’t have to move.”

TASCA'S NEW FUNNY CAR BODY - Since tethers on nitro Funny Cars became optional starting at the Northwest Nationals at Seattle Aug. 2, many teams have been working on new ideas that the NHRA will hopefully implement.

Bob Tasca III’s team is one of these.

Chris Cunningham, who is a co-crew chief on Tasca’s Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford with Marc Denner, explained to Competition Plus Friday at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway, what his team is working on.

“We are not running them (the tethers) at the current time and don’t have plans to put them back on until we do some further review,” Cunningham said. “We are working on a new body and we are trying to run it at the Indy test session next week. It has got stringers and ribs in it to alleviate a lot of the titanium tree work (that holds the front of the body). We are going to get rid of all that and the body should be overall twice as strong as what is currently out there. If that works then there will not be any need for a tether.”

The test sessions at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

“That’s the plan, if it gets done,” added Cunningham. “It is getting mounted right now. It should work out good. We would like to get some data on it and find out if maybe we made it too brittle or if it seems to be just right. We don’t plan on blowing anything up. This is a body that if it works it could possibly be implemented by NHRA in future body molds. The tether thing is pretty controversial because you are trying to prevent something from potentially happening and you are endangering the driver himself if the body obstructs the driver’s view and he is going 300 mph and he could potentially run into the other driver. We don’t want any of that to happen. We don’t want it to go into the stands and we don’t want it to obscure a driver’s view. We just don’t feel that it is in the best interest for us right now to run it.”

Cunningham said the new body is something Ford and world-renowned company Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats have been working on to design since last year. Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats is based in Bristol, R.I.

“Ford has been working with us and Outerlimits boats has been helping us extensively,” Cunningham said. “They are putting a lot of their boat technology into the body to try and make it stronger. They deal in 900 g’s (g-force) when the boats are going over the waves so they are pretty familiar with what it takes to make something strong.”

Cunningham also does not have a problem with the NHRA-approved dual front latching system which has been mandatory since the Mopar Mile-High Nationals July 19-21 in Denver.

“The latches I think are a great idea,” Cunningham said. “The latch will keep the front of the body on the car and it will keep the air from getting under it. I think the latch is a good idea. I just don’t know that the tether is a great idea.”  

WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE TETHERS - As a result of Johnny Gray’s nitro Funny Car explosion at Sonoma, Calif., July 28, tethers became optional at NHRA races starting at the Northwest Nationals in Seattle Aug. 2.

Glen Gray, NHRA’s Vice President, Technical Operations, addressed with Competition Plus where NHRA stands on the use of tethers prior to the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway.

“Several teams we are working with want to try different methods and that’s what we discussed (Tuesday at the advisory council meeting),” Gray said. “Some of the local teams were there in our office (in Indianapolis) and others conference called in. It (the tethering system) continues to be optional. We just need to see where the efforts go with respect to relieving the pressure generated during an engine explosion. We want to work on those safety issues so we can solve some of those problems. Then, we will revisit the tether. We are not thinking about any of these techniques to be able to work at this time. We are just working with teams and letting the teams experiment with some of these things to see if any of them help. If they do, then we might adapt some of them.”

Rob Wendland, Johnny Gray’s crew chief at Don Schumacher Racing, talked with Competition Plus Friday at Brainerd about what his team is working on right now.

"We are the only Mopar body, I think, to have more structural support under the body," Wendland said.  “I am a fan of the side burst panels. I think because of time frame and expense is the reason why NHRA didn’t go that direction, but I think they are a big fan of it now. At the shop Joey Martin is working with Steve Schiewer from Aerodine and they are in the process of coming up with something which may be a two-flap system. You have an upper flap and then coming off the side you will have another flap. Basically they will be hinged on one end and tethered so it can’t come off the car. It would almost have a frame like a sun roof, like you could put a sun roof in a car. It will have a structural frame and basically would bolt into the car and it would be something if you did have a problem with one you could replace it. I think it is going to be a large enough area that would really help us in any kind of situation like that.”

Wendland didn’t have a timetable on when his team may start using the two-flap system.

“At testing, yes,” Wendland said about using the two-flap system. “During a race we would have to make sure structurally that we feel comfortable with it and Johnny (Gray) was good with it.”

According to Wendland, the two-flap system in the works will not be ready to try out at the test session at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis Wednesday and Thursday.

Ron Capps, who drives the NAPA Dodge for DSR, believes DSR is headed in the right direction to help solve the tether issue.

“I talked to our head fabricator Joe (Fitzpatrick) who builds our cars at the shop and he said they were already working on burst panels that were going to be by the a-pillars,” Capps said. “They were going to go around the hood. We need to fix why we don’t have better burst panels and they are doing that, I think.”

Capps welcomes a change in the burst panels.

“The burst panels we have on the hood are prehistoric,” Capps said. “They are ridiculous to even have. First of all, they are dangerous. If they pop out of the hood they are going to go right to the injector and hang your throttle open. Secondly, our computer boxes that are in our chassis are right underneath that burst panel. They are blocking it and it really doesn’t do any good. We pulled our tethers off and left our latches on and I think the latches are a good thing. Talking with Joe at our shop and Graham Light (NHRA’s senior vice president-racing operations) the incident (with Johnny Gray) probably would not have been the same had it been a Toyota or Ford body as our body the way it came apart. The way the firewall came up and blocked Johnny. The way our bodies our built, just the design. Our guys are going to try and change that and make a better burst panel and also we need look at a different way of designing the body, and not just that but the tin work and firewall and all that. We might have somet
hing here in a couple of races burst panel-wise.”

One idea being discussed for use for nitro Funny Cars is a stove pipe.

A stove pipe is an eight-inch diameter tube on the back of the supercharger currently in use on some alcohol cars which directs pressure towards the burst panel and out of the car.

“That (the stove pipe) is something that is pretty cool and we should have looked at that earlier,” Capps said. “You never see those bodies come off like that. What they are working on now is finally a good idea. We need to fix why we don’t have better burst panels and they are doing that I think. We need to get the burst panel system fixed and keep the explosion small and then not blow the bodies off.”

Wendland isn’t in favor of the stove pipe.

“As far as what they call the stove pipes coming out of the firewall, we are not a fan of that,” Wendland said. “I do not like putting anything inside the driver’s compartment that is somewhat combustible. I figure that is what you are doing – sending the combustion through the driver’s compartment, and I’m not a fan of that. I do not think they can make one big enough now to help the situation that we are in.”

Glen Gray also explained to Competition Plus Wednesday the situation with the Electrimotion Shut-off Receiver during Johnny Gray’s explosive run.

“It appears that everything was working properly on the Electrimotion device,” Gray said. “There is an air cylinder that controls the linkage to the parachutes and to the fuel and it appears that the air line was damaged during the engine explosion and therefore not enough air got to the cylinders to deploy the parachutes in order to turn the control off. That’s what it looks like at this point.”

NHRA’s finding didn’t sit well with Capps.

“The air line should not be compromised,” Capps said. “There should be other ways so the line being compromised shouldn’t prevent that from coming out. That’s defeating the purpose. We need to learn from Scott Kalitta’s incident. Evidently we didn’t make any ground up on that because if that line can be compromised and chutes and stuff don’t come out then we didn’t learn anything. That was the scariest part, not seeing Johnny’s chutes out more than the explosion to me, safety-wise.”

Scott Kalitta, Connie’s son, and a two-time NHRA world champion, died on June 21, 2008, during qualifying at Englistown, N.J. Scott was 46 years old.

Scott Kalitta's Funny Car, traveling about 300 mph, burst into flames and crashed at the end of the track during final qualifying for the Lucas Oil SuperNationals Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Since Scott’s tragic wreck, the NHRA has had both Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars race to 1000-feet, instead of the traditional quarter-mile (1,320 feet).

HE'S NO GYMNAST, HONESTLY - Funny Car racer Jeff Arend will likely never be confused with a gymnast. This became very clear when on Friday evening he failed to land his dismount from a fence at Brainerd International Raceway.

Arend, driver of Jim Dunn’s Grime Boss-sponsored flopper, scaled a locked gate in an attempt to reach his rental car and landed the wrong way on his foot, fracturing his heel bone in three places following Friday qualifying at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

“It wasn’t as exciting of a story as you would expect in Brainerd. We were leaving the track at a reasonable hour and they always lock that gate,” Arend explained. “So we climbed the fence, about eight feet high, and when I came down, I guess I just landed the wrong way.”

Arend raced all day Saturday with the undiagnosed injury.

“It was tough just warming up the car, and I had to have the guys carry me out there,” Arend said.

Further complicating the issue was the fact that it was his throttle foot. 

“We towed up to run and I just sat in the car the whole time and back,” Arend said.

Arend said because the injury didn’t displace any bones, he confirmed through the attending physician that surgery won’t be required. He told CompetitionPlus.com his status is uncertain for tomorrow’s final eliminations, however.

Arend qualified No. 12 and is scheduled to meet Tim Wilkerson in Sunday’s first round.

UPS AND DOWNS - Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway is the site of Bob Bode’s fondest NHRA memory.

Back in 2010, Bode, a part-time nitro Funny Car racer, won his lone career NHRA national event at BIR.

On Saturday, BIR delivered Bode another lasting memory, but it is one he would like to soon forget.

During the fourth qualifying session right before the finish line the engine in Bode’s Funny Car exploded.

The good news was Bode clocked a 4.207-second run at 273.00 mph which qualified him No. 16. The bad news was his team was going to have to work around the clock Saturday to get his Funny Car ready for Sunday’s first-round eliminations, where he faces Jack Beckman.

“I have not been in a ride like that in a long, long time,” Bode said. “I can’t remember it being that hot and then when the windshield got covered with stuff it was a handful to keep it off the wall. I wanted out before it was done rolling because it was so warm in there. I love driving this hot rod and if it is on fire I will still drive it. I don’t want to do this, I hate slowing the program for all the fans. I don’t like the oil downs. We wanted to be in the show and in the fourth round (of qualifying) you can’t lift. You just have to drive it to the finish line and that’s what we did. We hate doing it. It is hard on the equipment, hard on the pocket book, but we really want to race here (Sunday). We have enough parts to put her back together.”

Bode’s first-round opponent Beckman is who he beat on Aug. 15, 2010, to win the Brainerd national event.

THE QUICKEST OF THE TOYOTAS - Del Worsham thundered to a 4.090-second run in his DHL Toyota Camry to qualify eighth.

DEJA VU? - John Force jumped up to the No. 3 qualifying position with a time of 4.050 seconds. The stellar run sets up a first-round match with Alexis DeJoria.

Last year Force met DeJoria in the first round and advanced to the second round after a bizarre turn of events. Force red-lit but DeJoria smoked the tires. The rookie driver did not realize that Force had been disqualified and pedaled her Tequila Patron Funny Car, which then crossed the center line. Under the NHRA’s “First or Worst” rule Force was reinstated in the race and ultimately advanced to the final round. 

MISSED IT BY "THAT MUCH” - After a solid opening day at Brainerd, Matt Hagan's focus on Saturday was to get ready for Sunday's race day at Brainerd with the goal being round wins en route to securing the No. 1 seed in the Countdown to the Championship six-race playoff.

"We just wanted to go down the track and work on the race day setup today," Hagan said after qualifying second for the third time this season. "Dickie (Venables) has a great combination and we just have to focus on Sunday and make sure we can get down both of these lanes here at Brainerd and make sure we have a great setup and starting point for race day." 

Hagan posted two solid qualifying laps on Saturday with a 4.090 and 4.110, entering race day with a 127-point lead over second-place racer Cruz Pedregon.

FOUR GOOD ONES - Courtney Force made four complete and quick passes this weekend to qualify in the No. 7 spot. The team will take on Bob Tasca III in the opening round on race day.

Friday consisted of two passes straight down the race track at 4.125 and 4.094 seconds. The California native locked into the top 12 and carried her time over to Saturday’s qualifying sessions.

Courtney improved Saturday with a 4.077 ET at 316.23 mph and a 4.087 ET at 314.31 mph.

She is 5-1 to Tasca III in previous events and in two out of her three career event wins, she has dismissed the fellow Ford driver from eliminations en route to a national event title.

 PRO STOCK

THE MOMENTUM CONTINUES - Vincent Nobile’s “crappy” run Friday was still better than any other Pro Stock driver could run by Saturday evening at Brainerd International Raceway.

Thus, Nobile’s 6.580-second pass at 209.43 mph allowed him to capture the pole position at the Lucas Oil Nationals.

“It is pretty exciting, considering we have not been qualifying very well this whole year,” Nobile said. “I think on average we have been qualified No. 8 or No. 9 throughout the season. To be No. 1 at this race means a lot. It means we have a fast race car and a consistent race car and that’s what you need to win races. Coming off two wins, there is nothing better than to qualify No. 1.”

Nobile, who made his first career NHRA Pro Stock start at Brainerd in 2010, has won two career pole positions. His first one came last season at Charlotte’s September race.

Nobile arrived in Brainerd fourth in the point standings behind leader Mike Edwards and his Mopar teammates Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin. Nobile has three 2013 wins, including at the last two NHRA events at Sonoma (Calif.) and Seattle. Nobile drives the Mountain View Tire Dodge.

“What better time than now as the Countdown is coming up,” said Nobile about the momentum of his team.

The final race of NHRA’s regular season is the U.S. Nationals Aug. 15-18 in Indianapolis. The six-race Countdown to the Championship Playoffs begin in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 13-15.

Although Nobile didn’t improve on his ET Saturday, he was happy with what his team accomplished.

“First round (Saturday) we broke a spark plug, which is why we fell off a little bit and then in Q4 we knew the air wasn’t all that great and we knew no one was going to go around us,” Nobile said. “We don’t get to go testing very much so we put on a new pair of tires that we just wanted to put a lap on and kind of break in and get them ready for the Countdown. We knew we weren’t going to go very fast, but we are looking forward to (Sunday).”

Nobile faces Chris McGaha Sunday in first round.

“(Sunday) we need to go fast first round because we want to keep lane choice,” Nobile said. ”We believe the right lane is considerably faster and I think that is going to decide the winner, keeping the lane choice all day. Actually the past two events we won not having lane choice because the lanes were pretty equal. Here (at Brainerd) I have a feeling lane choice is going to be a real big deal.”

CONTEMPLATING RACE DAY CHANGE -Jeg Coughlin Jr. has back-to-back runner-up finishes in the last two events on the NHRA tour. He qualified eighth with a 6.605 at 208.81 mph and will race Mark Martino in the first round.

Coughlin and his crew have some decisions to make overnight.

"The car's been up and down a little this weekend," admitted Coughlin. "We started off really strong in Q1 but dropped back after that and I'm really not sure why. We tried some different things and even swapped out a motor but the guys want to put it back to the way it was in the first round, when we had our best effort, and go out there and race it.

"We might try another motor; I'm not really sure at this point. I know we'll analyze the data top to bottom and see what formula we can come up with to make it happen."

Coughlin is a four-time winner at Brainerd, scoring victories during the 1999, 2002, 2007 and 2010 season.

GOOD SHOWING – Part-time Pro Stock racer Mark Martino shone in his debut with Menard's sponsorship. He ended up ninth in the field with a best run of 6.608 at 208.94 mph.


TALL ORDER - Rodger Brogdon ran his best qualifying pass Friday, a 6.634 at 208.59 mph, to land twelfth in the field.

"It's all in the early numbers," Brogdon said. "If we can get this car up and running quicker we'll be right there with the top group. Those first 330 feet are holding us back right now. We know what to do. There's a new clutch package everyone's been using and, like many others, it's taking us a little time to get it figured out. I promise you we're working as hard as humanly possible to close the gap."

Brogdon races defending series champion Allen Johnson in the first round of eliminations.

Johnson [below] qualified fifth with a 6.593 at 208.81 mph.

"Allen's the defending series champion, so that's a tall order right out of the gate, but you have to be ready to beat them all if you want to walk out of here with the Wally, so it doesn't really matter who you race or when you race them," said Brogdon, who hails from Tomball, Texas. "I say 'Bring 'em on.' We'll give them hell." 

STILL LOOKING FOR ONE - Larry Morgan is winless this season and we're not talking national events. We are talking rounds. Since Pomona, the Lucas Oil-sponsored driver has yet to win a round of competition. He qualified in Brainerd eleventh but his first round draw is Erica Enders Stevens [below]. His best pass of qualifying was a 6.627 at 207.91 mph, while she ended up sixth with a 6.596 at 209.04 mph.
MEMORIES OF BRAINERD SUCCESS - Shane Gray's last round win in Brainerd was in his first season of competition in the Pro Stock category, 2010, when he went all the way to final round but was stopped short by Jeg Coughlin. He qualified tenth on the strength of a 6.610-second, 209.30 mph run which pairs him against Jason Line in the first round.

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - SURPRISES ATOP FRIDAY'S LEADERBOARD

TOP FUEL

MILLICAN GRABS TF POLE WITH RECORD-TYING RUN - Only one other NHRA Top Fuel driver has ever been as quick as Clay Millican was at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway Friday evening.

Millican clocked a track-record-tying 3.773-second elapsed time at 326.63 mph to capture the provisional pole at the Lucas Oil Nationals at BIR.

“That was incredible,” Millican said. “I knew the car was probably going to run pretty good. Kurt (Elliott, Millican’s crew chief) and the whole Parts Plus team surprised me on the first (qualifying run) going (3)83 because by the time we ran not a lot of cars had really went down the race track. So then with (Shawn) Langdon going out there on the first lap going 79 I saw Kurt turning some knobs and I knew it was going to be a good one.”

Millican now shares the BIR elapsed time record with Khalid alBalooshi, who posted his 3.773 run last August.

“When that thing locked the clutch up, it got up on the rear tires and started dancing around,” Millican said. “It held on and what a lap. It went 286 mph at half-track and that’s a pretty stout run. I was very, very pleased with that. It really means more to me for the guys who work on this car. You are doing everything you can to just not make a mistake as a driver and I feel like I left a little on the table again. It is so fun to have a lap like that and to know that you are the fastest car in the world (Friday night). That feels pretty good. Whether it will stay (Saturday) we will have to wait and see. If it is cloudy and cool outside there are some cars that can go quicker than 77 (Saturday). I’m not going to be mad if it is 85 degrees and 85 percent humidity. I would love to keep this No. 1 spot.”

If Millican’s No. 1 qualifying spot holds it will be the second of his career and also his second this season. Millican won the pole position at Englishtown (N.J.) May 30-June 2.

  “Kurt (Elliott) has just been phenomenal and he has been especially good when he makes a nice solid first run,” Millican said. “If he knows he has qualified solidly he just gets after it and he certainly got after it (Friday night).”

Millican joined Bob Vandergriff Jr.’s team this past offseason and he could not be happier.

“It makes a big, big difference,” Millican said about having a teammate. “Kurt and Rob Flynn (Vandergriff’s crew chief) were literally sitting in the trailer when I was putting my firesuit on comparing all of their notes. They communicate through the radio as well. It makes a big, big difference to have a team car and the cars are really, really close as far as setups go.”

Vandergriff was No. 14 on the qualifying ladder after Friday with a best run of 3.897 seconds. Millican came to Brainerd eighth in the points and Vandergriff is ninth.

WE'RE GETTING BETTER - On July 15, Tommy Johnson Jr. was signed by Rapisarda Autosport International to drive the team’s Top Fuel dragster for the remainder of the 2013 NHRA season.

Since Johnson’s arrival, the team has continued to show progress, highlighted by Johnson’s first-round win over Steve Torrence in Sonoma (Calif.) July 28 in his first NHRA race with the team.

“That was a big win,” Johnson said. “For the team, they ran the quickest and the fastest they have ever run and for me coming back to my first race and getting a round win was good for me and good for the team. I don’t think we could have won the final at Indy and been much happier.”

Johnson clocked a 3.786-second elapsed time at 324.51 mph to beat Torrence’s 3.918-second lap.

The Rapisarda team is led by Australian crane mogul Santo Rapisarda and his sons, Santo Jr. and Santino. Lee Beard, a world championship crew chief and team manager, signed to serve as the director of operations for Rapisarda Autosport International in the middle of January. Beard left the team in May and joined Steve Torrence Racing.

Johnson Jr. qualified No. 10 at the Northwest Nationals in Seattle and was ousted by Clay Millican in the first round on Aug. 4.

“We qualified well and we got bit by the lane,” Johnson Jr. said. “That left lane had a trouble spot in it and I actually didn’t know about it before hand, otherwise I would have steered away from it. It still ran good and it has exceeded my expectations so far.”

Johnson Jr. is thrilled to be racing at the Lucas Oil Nationals this weekend at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway.

“I have always done well in Brainerd,” said Johnson, whose hometown is Ottumwa, Iowa. “I started racing here in 1984 in Super Gas. I have been coming here for many, many years. It has been a good place for me, especially being close to Iowa. Basically all my hometown fans will be here and I am really looking forward to racing here again.”

In the press room at BIR, there is a photo of Johnson Jr. in his Skoal Racing firesuit when he was driving a nitro Funny Car for the legendary Don Prudhomme.

FIRST TIMER - Brittany Force made her first passes at Brainerd International Raceway. Her two runs did not put her in the top twelve but she will have two shots tomorrow to post a quick enough time to race on Sunday. Track conditions were decent but getting a handle on the Castrol EDGE Top Fuel dragster proved problematic for her crew chiefs.

“We had two qualifying passes today, both of which that didn’t quite go as we had hoped for,” said Force.

“First run we smoked the tires at about 200 feet and the second run we smoked them a little further than that. It wasn’t what we wanted, but we get two more qualifying runs tomorrow, so I’m hoping we can get this Castrol EDGE dragster down the track and we’ll be in good shape.”

ALMOST -  Spencer Massey nearly earned the quickest time of the day, but the dragster in the other lane edged the Battery Extender Powered by Schumacher team for the provisional pole.

Massey's time of 3.792 seconds at 324.05 mph was topped by Clay Millican. Massey's teammate and reigning NHRA world champion Antron Brown [below] ranks seventh and Tony Schumacher is ninth.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS - Over the last two races, TJ Zizzo has set a new personal best ET of 3.821 seconds at Sonoma and raced in his first semi-final round at Seattle. Friday Brainerd International Raceway, the Chicago-based team ran a 3.852 ET in the day’s final round of qualifying. In the past, that would have been cause for celebration. Now that they know what they’re capable of, that’s no longer the case.

“That was supposed to be an .81,” Zizzo said after the run. “We started losing holes at 800 feet, so obviously, we lost speed. It’s really amazing when you’re disappointed at an .85. We used to be jumping up and down like animals at the starting line for an .85.

“It’s an easy fix. It happened down track, (crew chief) Mike Kern will come by and do his magic and everything will be just fine. It was humming along pretty good at the beginning and believe me, I felt it. I was right with (Tony) Schumacher (who was in the other lane) and then at about 850 feet or so, the belt came off.”

SLOW START, QUICKER FINISH -  Steve Torrence got off to a slow start Friday but rebounded with a 3.818 seconds at 323.66 mph.

“The car really felt good on the last run,” said Torrence. “Lee made some good calls when it came time to get the car down track down the track . . . and I was happy to be along for the ride,” said Torrence.

“We want to keep improving on our two runs Saturday like we did on Friday,”

FUNNY CAR

A VISION OF FOCUS LEADS TO NO. 1 - Matt Hagan had an epiphany on Friday morning.

The Funny Car point leader assembled his crew in the pits of Brainerd International Raceway, the host for this weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. He felt the need to reassure them to keep their eye on the prize.

Hagan made the point that too many get caught up in the intimidation of Countdown to the Championship.

“I told them they had been doing a great job this year and to keep doing what they had been doing all along,” Hagan said. “I let them know I didn’t see our car having any consistency problems and while we might have some downtime, we have a consistent car, and it shows in the performance and the points.”

The reminder worked as Hagan thundered to the top spot with a 4.044 elapsed time at 315.34 miles per hour. If the run holds it will tie his career best fourth qualifier of 2013, and the 14th of his career.

“I just cannot pat my guys on the back enough,” said Hagan. “[crew chief] Dickie Venables and Mike Knudsen [assistant crew chief] and all of our guys Have worked hard.”

Hagan, who last qualified No. 1 in Sonoma, lost in the first round of eliminations to the No. 16 qualifier Alexis DeJoria. He understands having the stronger race car on Sunday outranks one on Saturday.

“It’s great to be No. 1 and I am sure it will hold through tomorrow,” said Hagan. “It’s one of those things where it doesn’t really mean a whole lot other than good position for race day. It changes on race day and we have lost from the 16th spot. As much as we’d like to pat ourselves on the back right now and say it is all great, in Funny Car, you know the first round is going to be a tough draw. There’s just no easy draws.

“Look at last week with Jack Beckman and Johnny Gray. There were two phenomenal race cars racing first round. Great to be No. 1 but it’s more important to be in the top half and get lane choice. Right now, the lanes seem to be equal.”

While the lanes might be equal, the difference between this year’s season to this point and last year’s is as different as night and day.

“It sure is,” Hagan said. “It comes from the top, and we have a great leader. Nothing against anyone last year, because everyone has their ups and downs, and I had three phenomenal years with Tommy DeLago. But this deal, Dickie just seems to have it together. When it all comes together at the top, it just trickles down. I’m just tickled I don’t have to stand on my head to try to get people to vote for me [to get into the Traxxas Showdown].”

BLAKE ALEXANDER ALREADY HAS HAD MEMORABLE BRAINERD WEEK - No matter what Blake Alexander does this weekend at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway, this will be a week he will likely never forget.

On Wednesday night, Alexander, a nitro Funny Car driver, became engaged to his longtime girlfriend Leah Miles, who is 23.

“She has been my girlfriend since I was 15-years-old,” said Alexander, 24, who resides in Roanoke, Va. “I was nervous before when I was carrying an expensive ring around to all the places I stay at when I’m drag racing. I took her out on a quad into the middle of nowhere here in Minnesota. We found a clearing in a field. I don’t think she was expecting it at all. I told her why don’t we get off the four-wheeler here. She said she was comfortable sitting on the four-wheeler and I was like I really need you to get off the four-wheeler. She has been my best friend for a long time and I’m glad I kind of cemented that for years to come.”

Alexander said he and Miles have not determined a wedding date yet.
“It will probably be a year away and hopefully there will be a lot more success on the race track in between now and then,” Alexander said.

Alexander came to Brainerd 15thin the point standings, having competed in eight events this season. His highlight came when he advanced to the third round of the Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte, N.C., in the Paul Smith Racing Dodge Charger on April 21.

Following Brainerd, Alexander will finish his 2013 season at the U.S. Nationals (Aug. 28-Sept. 2) in Indianapolis, the Fall Nationals in Dallas (Sept. 19-22) and Reading, Pa. (Oct. 3-6).

“We have made good progress,” Alexander said. “The car has not been running very good as of late. We have been trying a lot of different things, but some of them have not been working, which has led to bad qualifying efforts. I hope we can reverse that this weekend and we will be able to get a little easier first-round match-up so we can go further on Sunday.”

Alexander clocked a 5.400-second time on his first qualifying run Friday. He improved with a 4.177-second lap Friday evening, leaving him at No. 13 on the ladder.

TEMPERS FLARE IN PITS - Competition Plus learned there was a disturbance in the pit area involving Cruz Pedregon’s nitro Funny Car team Friday night at Brainerd International Raceway.

“It is true,” said Jerry Braam, the Public Safety Director for Brainerd International Raceway. “Basically, we were called by NHRA officials to assist them with an incident between a racing team employee and management from that racing team. We got there. The disturbance was over. The security team for NHRA handled the issue and we were just there for more support if they needed it. I didn’t even get the name of the employee because NHRA was handling it. They just wanted us there in case we needed to assist them. We were called to a disturbance at that trailer (Pedregon’s Snap-on Tools trailer). We got there and (NHRA security) was there already and then I didn’t get involved more than that nor did my team.”

According to Braam, he was called over to the Snap-on Tools trailer around 6 to 6:30 p.m. Central Time Friday.

According to a spokesperson, NHRA is aware of the altercation, but didn’t have a comment and said the sanctioning body is investigating the incident at this time.

Attempts by a Competition Plus reporter to talk to Cruz Pedregon Friday night in his pit area were unsuccessful.

Pedregon’s best run Friday was a 4.626-second effort which left him No. 17 out of 18 on the qualifying ladder. Pedregron came to the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd second in the point standings on the strength of three wins.

ON THE BUBBLE - Robert Hight said he refuses to hold onto a spot in the top ten. The past NHRA champion said he plans to keep moving forward to get as high as he can get. Trying to hold onto a spot is an act he describes as negative.

Regardless of what he calls it, Hight's 10th place ranking headed into the last two events of the regular season puts him in a tough position with just three points separating him and No. 11-ranked Del Worsham. A little over a round of competition separates him from eighth and ninth.

If Hight can look back on history, he shouldn't be overly concerned considering he won his one and only championship from the tenth spot in the points.

“We are taking each race one at a time and not looking back at 2009,” Hight said. “It is no secret we struggled early in the year, but we are headed in the right direction now. I think the team that I am on now will be a contender to win this Funny Car championship. I don’t look back at 2009 because I think it would be nearly impossible to see someone win the championship from the No. 10 spot again. The competition level is just too high now. It was tough when I did it with the competition in 2009 and I think the competition is even tougher. Knowing that we need to get up to the No. 6 or No. 7 spot in the points, which I think we can do.”

Additionally, while Hight is focused on making the Countdown, getting a berth in the Traxxas Shootout is important, too. Right now, Hight stands as the only driver in John Force Racing who hasn't won a race this year.

History is not on Hight's side at Brainerd International Raceway. The facility located outside of Brainerd, Minn., has not been generous to Hight as he has never won or qualified No. 1 here.

“We are going to Brainerd focused on winning the race just like we go to every race,” Hight said. “There is a lot at stake in Brainerd, of course. The Traxxas Shootout is huge, but we are looking at making the Countdown. We are looking at how high we can get in the points to be solid in the Countdown. We have two races left and Brainerd is the first of those two. Brainerd weighs heavier because there are two things at play. You want to move up in the Countdown and you want to get that last guaranteed spot in the Traxxas Shootout.”

This year has been uncharacteristic for Hight as he has been mired in a bit of a slump, losing in the first or second round 13 times in 17 events. His lone final round appearance this season came in Topeka, a runner-up finish to Johnny Gray. The inconsistency led team owner John Force to make wholesale changes by switching crew chiefs and crews with Hight.

Mike Neff has replaced Jimmy Prock and while Hight has gained a measure of momentum, Force hasn't missed a beat.

“You want to control your own destiny against guys like (Tim) Wilkerson, (Bob) Tasca (III) and (Del) Worsham,” Hight said. “We have had that opportunity a few times and haven’t been able to capitalize on it. I still believe that is the way you want to do it is race these guys so you control your own destiny. We have a great car and great team and we are just focused on winning rounds and getting qualifying bonus points.”

UP AND DOWN, ALL AROUND - Johnny Gray entered this weekend's event as the fifth ranked Funny Car driver and some might say this ranking has been a hard one.

While the 60-year-old Funny Car driver has experienced a banner season, with four of his seven career wins, he has also been plagued with bouts of inconsistency, including a DNQ. Gray entered the Brained event with only two round wins since capturing a victory at Norwalk back at the first of July. Regardless of the negatives, Gray and his team have remained positive and even took time to rest with hopes of getting on the right track. 

"We've got everything ready for these next couple of races before we get into the Countdown, and we've also taken some time to relax and regroup since [the last race in] Seattle. Everybody is looking forward to getting back out there and seeing what we can do. As a team, we're feeling really good about this weekend. We're rested and eager, and we all have our heads screwed on straight. We're ready to go do battle."

Last year in Brainerd was a good outing for Gray, who earned his first career win in Brainerd during the 2009 season. Last year he set the Brainerd International Raceway track record with a 316.75 mph blast during qualifying.

"We like Brainerd; it's been a great race for us. This weekend should be another good one, and we need it. We were fortunate to run good during the year, but lately we've been slipping in the points and we need to move ourselves up in the standings before the Countdown starts."

AUDITIONING ... - Tim Wilkerson is auditioning this weekend, kinda sorta.

Wilkerson, who normally drives the Levi, Ray and Shoup Nitro Funny Car, has his Shelby Cobra Mustang adorned in the Circle K convenience stores colors as part of a one-race sponsorship.

“We’re proud to have Circle K on our car this weekend,” said Wilkerson, after running a 4.056 to qualify third provisionally. “Hopefully bigger and better things to come. We’ve had a lot of fun and showed it during the week at a couple of locations. They were excited about it, really neat deal.”

Wilkerson entered the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., as the eighth-ranked entry in the regular season points with only two races left before the playoffs begin next month. He trails Jack Beckman, who is seventh, by 74 points, which equates to four rounds of racing with only eight left to go. He leads Bob Tasca by three points, and tenth place Robert Hight by 33 points. 

"Here we go again, like we tend to do a lot, making it dramatic and gut wrenching to see who gets in this deal," Wilk said. "When they came up with the Countdown concept, the idea was to keep the drama about the championship going right to the end, because there had been years where it was basically settled by September and we were all just running out the string. Well, it sure has worked in that regard, with the championship usually coming down to the last day and sometimes the last lap on Sunday in Pomona, but I don't know if any of us figured just getting in the Countdown would be as dramatic as it's been. There's a ton of pressure right now, and we're only in the early part of August.

"Last year we dug ourselves a hole and did what looked like it might be impossible, getting into the playoffs on the final day in Indy. This year, we thought we'd try to keep the drama to a minimum, but the whole class is so tight and everyone in contention is peaking at the same time. You win a couple of rounds and think you did great, but nothing changes or maybe even someone closes the gap on you. We went to the semifinals in Seattle, and all that happened was the whole thing got even tighter."

PAUL BUNYAN OR JOHN FORCE? - Who has the larger legend in Minnesota, Paul Bunyan or John Force?

If you're a drag racing fan, it's John Force and his mastery of Brainerd International Raceway.

Force has won the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals 11 times in the last 25 seasons.

Overall, Force has reached the finals in 35 percent of all the races he has run in the NHRA series (220 of 637).  He has won 21.5 percent of the time, essentially every fifth race for the last four decades.

Brainerd is another story, even more impressive.

The 15-time champion Force has been a finalist 51.9 percent of the time at BIR and has won a record 40.8 percent of his starts.  He never has failed to make the starting field and has qualified outside the Top 6 just two times.

Even when he's not on his game, fate seems to fall in Force's favor whenever he runs at the track two hours outside of Minneapolis. Last season Force reached the final when he apparently lost in a first round foul start against Alexis DeJoria. He was reinstated after DeJoria crossed the centerline. Force lost the final round to Ron Capps.


PRO STOCK

NOBILE’S BAD RUN IS BEST IN PRO STOCK - Good thing Vincent Nobile’s feelings didn’t match the way his car ran Friday evening at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway.

“Being in the car and not knowing how fast I’m going, I had no idea I was on such a good run,” Nobile said. “It felt pretty crappy to be honest. It felt like it left and just shut the motor off and then it just came to life. It put me in a big wheel stand, kind of like a Super Stocker. That’s what it felt like anyways. It put a 58.0 on the board to my surprise, but I will take it.”

Nobile’s 6.580-second run at 209.43 mph put him on the provisional pole at the Lucas Oil Nationals.

Nobile, who made his first career NHRA Pro Stock start at Brainerd in 2010, has had only one career No. 1 qualifying spot, that coming at Charlotte’s September race last season.

Nobile arrived in Brainerd fourth in the point standings behind leader Mike Edwards and his Mopar teammates Allen Johnson and Jeg Coughlin. Nobile has three 2013 wins, including back-to-back Western Swing victories at Sonoma (Calif.) and Seattle.

“We definitely have some momentum going,” said Nobile, who drives the Mountain View Tire Dodge. “We had a decent run (on their first qualifying run). We actually had a broken spark plug and we were a little heavy on the clutch, so I knew we could be real fast if we got that right. I didn’t know we would be in front, but I knew we would be right there. I’m pretty excited to go look at that graph and see what it looks like because obviously that is what a good run does for your life.”

Despite his strong lap, Nobile wasn’t making any Saturday guarantees.

“If the weather is the same I’m sure Mike Edwards and Allen (Johnson) and Jeggie (Coughlin) could all run just as fast,” Nobile said. “I have only been there once before (on the pole) in my short career and it is definitely a goal to be No. 1 every weekend. But, as long as you are qualified, you have a chance to win the race. As a team, we proved that the past two weekends. We were No. 8 and No. 6 and still ended up in the winners circle. As long as we are in it, we are going to try and win it.” 

ENDERS STEVENS RETURNS TO PRO STOCK, FOR NOW - Erica Enders-Stevens returned to NHRA Pro Stock competition at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals after lack of major sponsorship forced her national event-winning team to the sidelines.

Enders-Stevens, who has missed the last four events, dropped from fifth to ninth in the championship point standings. She was tenth quickest at Brainerd International Raceway with a 6.618-second elapsed time at 208.65 miles per hour.

“I’m glad to be back here,” Enders-Stevens told ESPN.com. “I have to [shake off a little rust] and seat time is crucial. You can’t get enough, that’s for sure. We’re feeling it a little bit that we are behind and the other guys obviously haven’t been to the races. Just trying to keep a positive attitude and remain positive about things.

“I just sat in the car for about 30 minutes, making about 15 or 20 runs in my mind when I first got here today… letting the clutch out and getting used to it, just going over things after being in the Pro Mod car last week. It definitely changes your pattern of things that go on in the cockpit.”

The Victor Cagnazzi Racing team wounded an engine in the Black Iguana/Charter Communications after the first session. Her second run with a fresh engine, while not an optimum pass, gave promise of more performance ahead.

“It felt really nice when it left the starting line,” Enders-Stevens explained. “It shook the crap out of me at the top of low and I had to pull it out early. We definitely have some more on the table and we have some work to do.”

Enders-Stevens, who has been largely in charge of procuring sponsorship for the ride, has experienced myriad emotions over the last two months of being sidelined.

“As much as you try to forget what is going on, it still weighs heavy in the back of your mind but that’s not something I can control here and I have a job to do,” Enders-Stevens said. “It’s definitely a challenge.”

Enders-Stevens admitted on ESPN3.com she kept up with the NHRA Pro Stock scene but not as much as her husband Richie Stevens. She also texts between rounds with defending series champion and close friend, Allen Johnson. She also drove a Pro Modified car for Tulsa, Ok.-based team owner Keith Haney during an ADRL event.

“It really hit me hard in Sonoma being that we won Seattle,” said Enders-Stevens. “I’m really blessed to be here to defend my title here [in Brainerd]. It’s super frustrating and makes me sad, to be honest. We will watch it on the NHRA app, fast forward through the coverage and watch a little Pro Stock on ESPN2. We keep up with it and it makes me a little sick to my stomach because I want to be out here so bad.”

GUESS WHO'S BACK? - Before this weekend at the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd, Minn., the last time Paul Pittman competed in an NHRA Pro Stock race was July 22, 2012, at the Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo.

Pittman has been on the sidelines because his last pass at the Mile-High Nationals ended in a wild crash during his first round race against Allen Johnson. Near the finish line, Pittman’s car got out of the groove, rolled, and then came back on its tires before careening back and forth between the concrete walls, striking the left side twice. Pittman was uninjured in the crash.

“It took us this amount of time to build a new car,” said Pittman, who is from Bloomington, Minn.

Pittman’s first runs with his new Chevy Camaro will come at Brainerd.

“God hates cowards,” said Pittman about what inspired him to comeback. “This is what we are all about. Thousands of times down the track, and that was the first time we had any problems. You can’t let that bother you. You just try to figure out the circumstances that created it. I just got out of the groove.”

Pittman sat out Friday's qualifying and expect

According to Pittman, his Twist & Shout Racing team will compete in the final seven NHRA races following Brainerd.

 “I’m excited to see what we can do,” Pittman said. “We have a lot of power right now.”

Pittman is getting his engines from Ken Black Racing. Pittman’s crew chief is his wife Pat Hughes. Beginning at Brainerd, Lance Line, Jason Line’s brother, will be working on Pittman’s crew.

“He (Lance Line) is familiar with these motors,” said Pittman, an accomplished Super Gas and Comp racer who has been racing Pro Stock for three seasons. “This was kind of a bucket list type of deal for us to race Pro Stock. We are not going to set the world on fire and nobody is going to be afraid of us, but we are going to enjoy it.”

According to Pittman, he also plans on racing NHRA Pro Stock in 2014.

“We will run what we can afford,” Pittman, 67, said. “We travel around the country and it is kind of a decompression if you will. Some people have kids and send them to college and go to Hawaii once a year. We go to the races as many times as we can. We don’t care about Hawaii and we don’t have kids. Plus, I don’t have long to do this.”

THE HOME TEAM - Native Minnesotan Greg Anderson nailed his best pass out of the box to lead the two-car KB Racing team with a 6.600 at 209.01 to claim the provisional No. 5 position. Teammate Jason Line [below], also racing in his native state, was No. 6 with a 6.603 at 209.62 mph.