As if Las Vegas weren’t loud and ostentatious enough in its own right, the city hosts the fire and fury of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series twice each year. 

		EVENT NEWS EVENT NOTEBOOK ASHER'S VEGAS NOTEBOOK ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS FINAL ROUND RESULTS			EVENT GALLERY SPORTSMAN GALLERY

SUNDAY FINAL - HIGHT, BERNSTEIN DEDICATE LAS VEGAS VICTORIES IN MEMORY OF FRIEND ERIC MEDLEN

Anderson increases POWERade Series lead with third Pro Stock victory of the season

Less than a month after losing Eric Medlen in a tragic testing accident, John Force Racing celebrated a Funny Car victory Sunday as Robert Hight raced to the victory over POWERade Series points leader Ron Capps at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals.

Hight was joined in an emotional winner's circle at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by Medlen's good friend Brandon Bernstein, who earned his 13th Top Fuel title, and Greg Anderson, who claimed a track-record fifth Las Vegas trophy in Pro Stock.

"It's amazing how many lives Eric has touched and it's not as fun coming to the races without your best friend and teammate with you," Hight said. "But we needed to come back out here and be with our family, our drag racing family, and realize how many people Eric made happy in his life.

"I never have had much luck at Vegas but I felt like I had some extra help today. Maybe Eric was watching over me. I know having his dad [John Medlen] helping us with the car was special for all of us."

Both Hight and Bernstein, who beat Bob Vandergriff in the Top Fuel final, immediately dedicated their wins to the Medlens. Hight presented his trophy to Eric's father John, while Brandon sought out Eric's mother Mimi and gave her his Wally. Anderson, meanwhile, was able to give Las Vegas-based team owners Ken and Judy Black their fifth hometown win, making the team the most prolific in the track's brief history. This time he beat Jeg Coughlin to get the hardware.

  Hight found a way to keep his emotions in check until the race was over, surviving a quirky Funny Car finale against red-hot Capps to win with a 5.126 at 282.90 mph to Capps' 5.592 at 178.57 mph. Both cars went quiet well before the finish line. Capps' Brut Revolution Dodge Charger was out of power first, denying him a chance at three wins in a row. Hight's Auto Club Ford Mustang expired soon thereafter but he had enough momentum to take the stripe first and earn his sixth career win.

 "I'm always kind of intense and serious but after seeing Eric and knowing him I want to start smiling more and start letting everyone know how much I enjoy this," Hight said. "I love what I do and it's very special to drive these cars for a living."

The final represented a 40-point swing at the top of the Funny Car standings as Hight moved to within 88 points of leader Capps. Hight is now 6-7 in final rounds, while Capps slipped back to .500 at 24-24 lifetime.

 After giving up a sizable starting line advantage, Bernstein quickly tracked down Bob Vandergriff and was side-by-side with him at the 330-foot marker. He simply drove away from there as Vandergriff's UPS dragster struggled to maintain traction. Bernstein zoomed past the scoreboards in 4.521 seconds at 330.07 mph in his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to give his team its first win of the season.

"Every time I was in a final Eric was always there at the top end for me," Bernstein said. "He was there today in spirit and it was awesome to have J.R. [Todd] down there. I can honestly say I loved that guy and I miss him so much. It's definitely great to win this so soon and be able to dedicate it to Eric. I can't wait to see Mimi and give her the trophy.

"This was a great turn of events for us. After not qualifying in Gainesville we got behind and knew coming in here we were eighth in the points, which is right on that bump of being in the Countdown to the Championship or not. It's nice to have moved all the way up to third. Now we need to stay up here."

Vandergriff remains winless in NHRA competition but his eighth career runner-up finish lifted him from 13th to ninth place in the standings. Bernstein moved from eighth place to third overall.

Anderson has now won three of the first five races of the year and is already 129 points ahead in the series standings. Coughlin did what he could in the final, leaving the line in .018 seconds to Anderson's .030-second start, but Anderson's Summit Racing Pontiac GTO had caught and passed Coughlin's Slammers/Jegs.com Chevrolet Cobalt by half track, winning with a 6.724 at 205.29 mph to Coughlin's 6.758 at 204.45 mph.

It was Anderson's 46th career victory and his final run was the quickest and fastest of the weekend in his category.

"I sure didn't think I'd be here at the start of the day," Anderson said. "We struggled a bit in qualifying and then lost lane choice after Round 1 and we thought we were in big trouble. It took just about a miracle and somehow we got one with a .003 [second] light. Then we had to race the right lane again against Dave Connolly and we managed to win again. I don't know if that's ever happened to me before."

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues with the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, April 26-29 at Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, Ga.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

SATURDAY QUALIFYING - JOHN FORCE'S AMAZING NHRA POWERADE SERIES QUALIFYING STREAK ENDS AT 395 RACES

Schumacher, Ashley and Coughlin earn No. 1 qualifying positions; Kalitta also sees qualifying streak end at 164 races

One of the most impressive streaks in motorsports came to an end Saturday when 14-time Funny Car champion John Force failed to qualify for eliminations for the first time in 395 races.

Force and Top Fuel contender Doug Kalitta, whose class-leading streak of races also ended this weekend, will be observers when the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals begin Sunday morning at 11 a.m.

Friday leaders Tony Schumacher, Mike Ashley, and Jeg Coughlin remained on top of their respective fields at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Force last failed to qualify in 1987 at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.

"Whatever ends here, ends," said an upbeat Force, who received a standing-ovation from an appreciative crowd. "There's still a Force (daughter Ashley, qualified third) out there so that's good. We've climbed mountains lately; this is nothing. We'll be fine. It was bound to happen, so now it has and we'll start over."

Schumacher's third No. 1 qualifying effort of the year and the 38th of his career, which he earned with a 4.479 at 329.83 mph in his U.S. Army dragster during Friday's racing, was overshadowed by the shocking DNQ by rival Kalitta.

"This class is tough top to bottom," Schumacher said. "We've got J.R. Todd in Round 1 and he's already won two races this year. Doug Kalitta didn't even make the show. It's brutal."

Kalitta, driver of the Mac Tools/Foose Design dragster, posted a best run of 4.641, which was well off the pace needed to make the 16-car starting lineup. His class-leading streak of 164 consecutive races, dating back to the Phoenix race in 2000, was snapped.

"It’s terribly disappointing, but no one here will hold their head down," Kalitta said. "We didn’t make it, and that’s that. We just had a bad weekend. It happens, and we’ll move on. I really think this will just make us a lot stronger. We’ll be okay."

Brady Kalivoda remained in second place with his 4.490 in the Marnell and Moorefield Construction dragster. David Powers Motorsports teammates "Hot Rod" Fuller and Whit Bazemore were third and fourth with identical 4.498s.

Ashley's first career No. 1 qualifying performance was impressive as his 4.725 second run at a category-best speed of 334.32 mph was well ahead of his peers' best efforts. The driver of the Torco Racing Fuels Dodge Charger, who moonlights as a New York mortgage broker, has raced in just 32 national events as a professional.

"I can't even comprehend John (Force's) streak," Ashley said. "It really just shows you how tough it is out here. That team has everything but even they can get tripped up. It happened to us in Gainesville. Man, I feel bad for him but they'll be fine."

Ashley will open against Vegas' most recent winner, Jack Beckman, who was the man responsible for bumping Force when he posted a 4.837 at 321.73 mph in his Mail Terminal Services Charger. The run placed him 16th overall. Force ended up 17th with a best of 4.852 at 311.41 mph in his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang.

Coughlin earned his 10th career top qualifying award and his second in as many races. His 6.733 at 204.26 mph from Friday afternoon kept his Slammers/Jegs.com Chevrolet Cobalt on top as no one was able to challenge the pass in Saturday's sunshine.

"We're absolutely pumped about the performance of these Slammers racecars," Coughlin said. "Of course the win is the thing we're all after but it's always exciting to know you have a good, consistent, and very quick race car heading into eliminations. Now it's time to turn some of these great qualifying efforts into wins. Victor (Cagnazzi, team owner) needs a few trophies on his desk to remind him why we do this crazy stuff."

Coughlin's teammate at Cagnazzi Racing, Dave Connolly, is second in his Torco/Slammers Cobalt with the same E.T. but a slightly slower 203.49 mph top speed. Greg Anderson was the quickest of the day, moving up to third with a 6.737 at a track record speed of 205.26 mph in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO.

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the eighth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fifth of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.479 seconds, 329.83 mph vs. 16. J.R. Todd, 4.618, 312.86; 2. Brady Kalivoda, 4.490, 329.42 vs. 15. Bob Vandergriff, 4.614, 311.49; 3. Rod Fuller, 4.498, 328.94 vs. 14. Mike Strasburg, 4.612, 306.19; 4. Whit Bazemore, 4.498, 328.14 vs. 13. Cory McClenathan, 4.590, 324.67; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 4.506, 330.63 vs. 12. Clay Millican, 4.581, 322.27; 6. Larry Dixon, 4.540, 324.67 vs. 11. Hillary Will, 4.569, 329.91; 7. David Grubnic, 4.541, 331.69 vs. 10. Joe Hartley, 4.559, 328.78; 8. Morgan Lucas, 4.556, 324.59 vs. 9. Melanie Troxel, 4.558, 327.51.

Funny Car -- 1. Mike Ashley, Dodge Charger, 4.725, 334.32 vs. 16. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.837, 321.73; 2. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.740, 304.87 vs. 15. Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy Impala, 4.822, 323.97; 3. Ashley Force, Mustang, 4.748, 321.81 vs. 14. Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.819, 292.71; 4. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.762, 323.04 vs. 13. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.818, 318.69; 5. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.763, 328.70 vs. 12. Kenny Bernstein, Charger, 4.816, 316.97; 6. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.772, 325.61 vs. 11. Jim Head, Toyota Solara, 4.806, 322.04; 7. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.787, 322.04 vs. 10. Del Worsham, Impala, 4.803, 322.11; 8. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.799, 314.75 vs. 9. Scott Kalitta, Solara, 4.799, 323.50.

Pro Stock -- 1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.733, 204.29 vs. 16. Max Naylor, Dodge Stratus, 6.794, 202.73; 2. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.733, 203.61 vs. 15. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.790, 203.74; 3. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.737, 205.26 vs. 14. Kenny Koretsky, Cobalt, 6.780, 203.86; 4. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.740, 204.17 vs. 13. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.779, 203.37; 5. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.748, 203.89 vs. 12. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.771, 203.43; 6. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.749, 204.08 vs. 11. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.768, 203.74; 7. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.756, 203.58 vs. 10. Jason Line, GTO, 6.767, 204.82; 8. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.762, 203.95 vs. 9. Erica Enders, Stratus, 6.763, 202.97. 

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

FRIDAY QUALIFYING - ASHLEY LEADS FUNNY CAR FIELD AT LAS VEGAS WITH FASTEST SPEED IN HISTORY

 

 

Schumacher and Coughlin also are early race leaders in their categories

Mike Ashley raced to the fastest Funny Car speed in drag racing history Friday night at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals.

Tony Schumacher and Jeg Coughlin also were leaders in their respective categories at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Ashley powered his Torco Racing Fuels Dodge Charger to a category-best speed of 334.32 mph during a 4.725-second run to claim the top spot in Funny Car. Ashley has been the provisional No. 1 qualifier twice before but he's never held on to the No. 1 spot through all four rounds.

Ashley's interview after his record run was almost as blurred as his stunning top speed as the fast-talking New Yorker excitedly described his class-leading pass.

"It's really exciting," Ashley said. "This is something that’s been in the works for us. We were the quickest and fastest car in Houston on race day and now that's carried over to here. I think we have a quality team and that's exciting because I haven't been able to win yet for our sponsor Evan Knoll. I really want to do it for him because he's been with me from the start."

Robert Hight shut his Auto Club Ford Mustang off early but still managed a 4.740 at 288.70 mph, the best of the three John Force Racing cars, which returned to action this weekend. Hight's teammate Ashley Force was fourth overall with a 4.793 in her Castrol GTX Mustang, while her father John, who was No. 1 after the opening round, slipped to 14th place with his 4.888 second run in his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Mustang.

 Schumacher's Friday night run of 4.479 at 329.83 in his U.S. Army dragster put the four-time champ at the front of the Top Fuel starting order.

"We've built a great sport here," Schumacher said. "There's going to be lots of side-by-side racing down this beautiful track Sunday. You can already tell because the field is tight. The bump's a 4.65 and let me tell you, if you're not in, that's an uncomfortable feeling when you know it's going to be 80 degrees tomorrow."

Brady Kalivoda is making the most of his debut with Coghlin Motorsports, driving their Marnell and Moorefield Construction dragster to a career-best run of 4.490 at 329.42 mph to hold the No. 2 position in the field.

Local favorite "Hot Rod" Fuller, the current NHRA POWERade Series points leader, is third in his all-white David Powers Homes dragster after a 4.498 at 328.94 mph, the final 4.4-second car in the field.

Coughlin had the quickest car in Pro Stock, powering his Slammers/Jegs.com Chevy Cobalt to a 6.733 at 204.26.

"That was one of those Pro Stock sessions where every car that went down the track was getting quicker and quicker," said Coughlin, a three-time winner at LVMS (2000, '01, and '02). "We were getting bumped down the ladder and that's always an uneasy feeling but the good news is as the session went along the sun kept going down. By the time we got up there the track was totally shaded."

Dave Connolly had the exact same elapsed time as teammate Coughlin but was slightly slower with a top speed of 203.49 mph, relegating his Torco/Slammers machine to second.

Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at noon and 3 p.m.

 

Results Friday after qualifying for the eighth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, fifth of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.479 seconds, 329.83 mph; 2. Brady Kalivoda, 4.490, 329.42; 3. Rod Fuller, 4.498, 328.94; 4. Whit Bazemore, 4.501, 328.14; 5. David Grubnic, 4.541, 331.69; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 4.541, 327.27; 7. Morgan Lucas, 4.556, 324.59; 8. Joe Hartley, 4.559, 328.78; 9. Hillary Will, 4.569, 325.85; 10. Clay Millican, 4.581, 322.27; 11. Cory McClenathan, 4.590, 324.67; 12. Larry Dixon, 4.590, 319.75; 13. Mike Strasburg, 4.612, 306.19; 14. Bob Vandergriff, 4.623, 308.50; 15. Alan Bradshaw, 4.641, 300.93; 16. Doug Kalitta, 4.651, 329.18.

Funny Car -- 1. Mike Ashley, Dodge Charger, 4.725, 334.32; 2. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.740, 304.87; 3. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.772, 325.61; 4. Ashley Force, Mustang, 4.793, 321.81; 5. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.799, 314.75; 6. Scott Kalitta, Toyota Solara, 4.799, 313.15; 7. Del Worsham, Chevy Impala, 4.803, 316.97; 8. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.812, 323.04; 9. Tommy Johnson Jr., Impala, 4.822, 323.97; 10. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.832, 279.73; 11. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.856, 320.58; 12. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.866, 315.93; 13. Kenny Bernstein, Charger, 4.873, 308.99; 14. John Force, Mustang, 4.888, 318.47; 15. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.915, 312.57; 16. Jon Capps, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 4.995, 296.63.

Pro Stock -- 1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.733, 204.26; 2. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.733, 203.49; 3. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.740, 204.17; 4. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.748, 203.83; 5. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.749, 204.79; 6. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.749, 203.68; 7. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.756, 203.28; 8. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.762, 203.49; 9. Erica Enders, Stratus, 6.763, 202.97; 10. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.768, 203.74; 11. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.779, 203.37; 12. Kenny Koretsky, Cobalt, 6.781, 203.49; 13. Max Naylor, Stratus, 6.794, 202.73; 14. Jason Line, GTO, 6.796, 204.35; 15. Tom Hammonds, Cobalt, 6.797, 202.97; 16. Justin Humphreys, GTO, 6.803, 203.16.