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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK -

NEW DAD CRAMPTON EARNS ANOTHER NEW LABEL - Morgan Lucas Racing’s Richie Crampton is a new father.

After his Sunday showdown at the National Hot Rod Association’s Toyota Summernationals, he has a new label: Top Fuel winner.

The rookie driver from Adelaide, Australia, who worked for seven years as the clutch specialist on his GEICO/Lucas Oil Dragster before sitting in the cockpit, used a 3.819-second, 320.51-mph pass on the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park 1,000-foot course to win in his first final round.

He and Funny Car winner Cruz Pedregon denied the Kalitta Motorsports duo of Doug Kalitta and Del Worsham sentimental victories they had hoped to turn into tributes to Scott Kalitta, the drag-racing champion killed here in a qualifying accident in 2008.

Crampton and Pedregon joined Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) in the winners circle at this ninth of 24 events on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour.

“This is all surreal right now. I’m over the moon right now,” Crampton said after becoming the NHRA’s 100th different Top Fuel winner in only his ninth race.

He said he didn’t think his day would end in triumph when it started out with a shredded front tire, and he wondered just when his luck would run out as he earned two more round-wins with help from mistake-prone opponents.

Oddly, the final round proved to be the most worry-free, although he beat Kalitta (3.848 seconds, 317.34 mph) by a mere nine-thousandths of a second.

“I was happy it went A to B without the tires falling off or something silly,” Crampton said.

"Doug's had the car this year so far, so to better him that round was a real accomplishment,” he said. "I bet this news will ring across Australia pretty well. I'm doing my best to represent Australian drag racing, and I know we have a lot of folks keeping up with us down there. I bet some pints will be downed at the pubs tonight!"  

Said Crampton, “I already know I'm the luckiest guy in the pit, and now we've proven it. This is beyond anything I could have ever imagined, to go from a crew guy to standing here with a Wally (trophy) in just a few months’ time.

"I'm so humbled that GEICO, Lucas Oil, and Toyota showed faith in me and gave me this awesome opportunity. I'm really quite stunned at the moment."

Sunday’s victory paid $50,000. But with that, Crampton earned a berth in the $100,000-to-win Traxxas Shootout that will run during the U.S. Nationals Labor Day classic at Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Raceway.

The doting daddy said daughter Emma, born May 20, “is the ultimate lucky charm.”

Although longtime girlfriend Stephanie Laski and baby Emma were back home at Indianapolis with Crampton’s mother, June, Crampton's father, Al, was at the starting line for the moment.

"The timing was perfect," Crampton said. "I had a really tearful moment with Dad at the top end when he arrived down there. He's the reason I'm racing. The sacrifices him and my mum  made taking me to go-kart races and the drags back home when I was a boy, all the encouragement, I simply wouldn't be here without them.

"The only problem is Mum's back in Indiana with Stephanie and she'll be quite upset she missed this, I'm sure. I can't wait to get home and share this moment with everyone there."

As the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series action shifts to Tennessee’s Bristol Dragway in two weeks for the Ford Thunder Valley Nationals, Crampton is ninth in the standings.

PEDREGRON TOPPLES THE FC COMPETITION AT ENGLISHTOWN - Cruz Pedregon wasn't his best Sunday, but the two-time NHRA world champ was good enough Sunday at the Summernationals at Englishtown, N.J.

Pedregon muscled past three opponents with less-than-stellar runs before edging Del Worsham with a 4.126-second lap at 301.33 mph.

Worsham came across the line in 4.189 seconds.

"I was relieved," Pedregon said after his win. "I did not want to win it putzing down there at 4.50. So the fact we had a good race with Del and ran a 4.12 on probably the hottest part of the day on the track. It was a challenge to slow the car down enough. The good news was we ran a 3.95, but the most difficult conditions were (Sunday). It was a tremendous challenge."

Pedregon also admitted Mother Nature wasn't his only obstacle.

"We have the latest, greatest Alan Johnson cylinder heads on our car and I didn't have any data for this kind of weather. So we were kind of out there going rounds smoking the tires basically. It was nice to finally corral it and get it under control where it did run a 4.12 in the final. To say I'm excited and happy is an understatement."

This was Pedregon's first win of the season and 35th of his career, tying him on NHRA's all-time nitro Funny Car victory list with the legendary Don Prudhomme.

"Prudhomme is my hero, so it means a lot," Pedregon said. "I've been doing it a little longer so I've had plenty of opportunities. My biggest accomplishment is the fact I have been doing it so long in so many different scenarios. I was a driver and then I became an owner and I had good people work for me. To be able to do this and maintain it 20 years later means everything to me. This is what I work hard for and I have a good team and a great sponsor."

Following Pedregon's win, he gave his Wally to Connie Kalitta, the owner of Worsham's Funny Car. Scott Kalitta, Connie's son, died in a crash during qualifying at Englishtown in June of 2008. NHRA implemented 1000-foot racing at the Mile High Nationals in July following Scott's death.

"Before the final I just thought of Scott (Kalitta)," Pedregon said. "I thought those guys are going to try and tear our heads off because they want to win it for themselves and Scott's memory. I just felt compelled to hand Connie, the hero, and the champion he is, the trophy. It was a big deal to me because Connie means so much to everybody. To say he is a legend is not doing him any justice. Connie didn’t say much. He smiled. I didn't do it for any reaction, but I felt it meant a lot to him. It was something I wanted to do and I hugged him."

Pedregon had the quickest pass in NHRA nitro Funny Car history on Friday at 3.958 seconds, but he had runs of 4.524 seconds, 5.183 seconds and 4.593 seconds to get past Terry Haddock, Tommy Johnson Jr., and Jack Beckman before ousting Worsham.

"In the semifinals, they lower the body and the body is not down all the way. It was up about three inches, so now I'm staring at a dash up in my face. I thought this body is going to do something. It had a cylinder out and it felt like a tractor as opposed to a race car and we got the win. I think it took all three of those funky looking runs to get it right."

COUGHLIN CAPTURES ENGLISHTOWN PS VICTORY - Winning races is nothing new for Jeg Coughlin.

The decorated NHRA world champion, however, found an unusual way to get to the winners circle Sunday at the Summernationals at Englishtown, N.J.

Coughlin’s final-round win came against Greg Anderson.

Coughlin powered his Dodge Dart to a 6.510-second run to defeat Anderson, who slowed to 10.314 seconds.

“It felt like we could run a 50 or 51 there in the final and we ran a low 51,” Coughlin said. “Mark Ingersoll (Coughlin’s teammate Allen Johnson’s crew chief) is celebrating his 50th birthday (Sunday) and I gave him the Wally for his mantel. He and my crew chief Adam Hornberger did a heck of a job adapting to the day. The air was better (Sunday). The air was drier (Sunday), the barometer was up, everything Pro Stock cars love, but when the sun came out we knew we were going to have our hands full with the track. Fortunately they gave us enough time to figure it out and we did.”

The victory over Anderson gave Coughlin the Wally, but it was his wacky first round win over Kenny Delco that everybody was talking about in the pressroom after the event.

“I don’t know if it was the wackiest or not,” Coughlin said. “I recall watching the Mr. Gasket Challenge years ago and Larry Morgan wasn’t qualified for the NHRA Pro Stock race and he won the Challenge on just a wacky day. Fast-forward to (Sunday). In the first round, I let the clutch out and the car immediately started to shake. I was doing everything in my power to get (it) in second gear. It was crazy. I got it in second gear and the car came off the ground. I was just trying to salvage the run and get it to the other end. I limped it down through there.”

After surviving against Delco, Coughlin disposed of Shane Gray and Dave Connolly before meeting up with Anderson. His semifinal win over Connolly came with a twist Coughlin didn’t expect.

Moments before Connolly and Coughlin came to the starting line, Connolly switched from the left lane to the right lane.

“I was shocked,” Coughlin said. “I think they (Connolly’s team) got a little worried when they saw Rodger Brogdon go down there (the left lane) and shake. It didn’t hurt my feelings. Usually Pro Stock guys like the right lane, but at this track, the left lane was just gorgeous.”

Coughlin clocked a 6.524-second run at 213.60 mph run, defeating Connolly’s 6.535-second lap.

This was Coughlin’s second win of the season and 58th of his NHRA career. Coughlin has been in three consecutive final rounds. Coughlin won at Atlanta May 19, lost at Topeka, Kan., May 25 to his teammate Johnson, and then won Sunday.

BIKER HINES WINS IN THIRD STRAIGHT ALL-HARLEY FINAL ROUND - Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Andrew Hines joked after winning Sunday’s Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park that only “five percent of me feels bad” about robbing Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod teammate, best buddy, and neighbor Eddie Krawiec of a second victory at his beloved hometown racetrack.

Hines won this third consecutive all-Harley-Davidson final round with a 6.828-second elapsed time on the quarter-mile at 196.56 mph to Krawiec’s 6.237, 196.30 in this pairing of three-time series champions who are 1-2 in the standings.

“We are back,” Hines declared, saying, “We put the exclamation point on it this weekend.”

Hines meant he and Krawiec are back from a year-and-a-half struggle that started with NHRA rules that forced the Vance & Hines team to redesign its engines – essentially start from scratch.

“We’ve been digging for it for the last year and a half,” Hines said. “I kept saying racing’s getting in the way of R&D. We finally got an offseason under our belts, and luckily we’re reaping the benefits of it right now.

“There’s a lot of work that happened over the offseason,” he said. He said the Vance & Hines workers “put forth more than 100 percent.”

Hines said he’s surprised he and Krawiec, who rank consistently close to the magic 200-mph speed mark, are the leaders once again in the chase for that distinction.

“I can’t believe it. To be back in that position says so much about how resilient our team has to be to come out and fight for it,” Hines said.

He and Krawiec swapped motors following the Atlanta race two weeks ago, so Hines said a part of Krawiec actually ended up in the winners circle Sunday.

“His motor won at Englishtown,” Hines said, adding, “I’ll probably give it back to him, since I know mine’s just as good.”

What has him supercharged, though, is the idea that he and Krawiec are competitive again.

“We’re getting into that stretch where all these round wins are going to count. We’ve got our competitors pissed off. I love it,” he said.

RECORD-SETTER CONCEDES VICTORY - A day after Pro Stock’s Erica Enders-Stevens rewrote the national speed record at 215.55 mph during qualifying for the Toyota NHRA Summernationals, the class points leader added the more valuable elapsed-time record to her résumé. She gained an extra 20 points with an equally stunning 6.464-second blast Sunday morning on the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park quarter-mile.

However, she and the Elite Motorsports Camaro bowed out of eliminations in the quarterfinal.

"The cruel part of drag racing is you set both ends of the national record, so you know you have the baddest hot rod on the planet, but you still have to win rounds to win races -- and the driver didn't get it done today," Enders-Stevens said. "I feel terrible for my guys for losing the race, but I couldn't be more proud of them for getting this car into the record books. No matter what, no one can take this weekend and the records we set away from us. Those marks will be beaten one day, but for now we are on top. I'll get over it. The main thing is we increased our points lead and the Elite Motorsports Camaro is the undisputed king of the hill for now.”

SKATING AROUND - Clint Satterfield took a wild ride in his ’68 Firebird against Von Smith in the second round of Pro Modified eliminations. Satterfield started in the left lane, and his car drifted left toward the wall, across the boundary stripe, up on two wheels. As he fought the tameless car, it plowed through the half-track timing cones as it hurtled into the opposite lane behind Smith and scuffed the right wall before coming to a stop. Unhurt, Satterfield scrambled from his seat and hurried around to the right side to inspect the damage.

SHREDDED TIRE - Richie Crampton’s crew members told the Goodyear representatives they believe the right front tire on the GEICO/Lucas Oil Dragster became shredded at the end of his first-round Top Fuel victory because it ran over debris on the track. Opponent Dom Lagana’s team helped Crampton’s mechanics replace the wheel and tire so they could tow it back to the pits for servicing. Crampton advanced to the first semifinal of his rookie season but had to out-pedal JR Todd after both lost traction.

THE HOLE TRUTH - Graham Light, NHRA senior vice-president of racing operations, explained the hole in the right lane that demanded repairs during qualifying Friday. He said the vertical gouge in the surface was a result of aging asphalt. A 60-foot section of the track, starting at about the 660-foot mark, was repaved Tuesday. The hole that halted racing action Friday was just beyond the end of the fresh paving. So it simply was another patch of deteriorating pavement that comes with normal wear and tear.
 
IT’S NOT THE OIL - For Larry Morgan it’s simple – not winning but rather the concept of serving his sponsors well. He lost to Rodger Brogdon in the opening round Sunday and talked as though he let down his Lucas Oil sponsors, when he gave his primary funders one of the best endorsements.

He expressed his “continued thanks to Lucas Oil. Forrest and Charlotte Lucas are a Godsend for us, and I desperately want to show my appreciation for their continued support. And the way we do that in drag racing is by turning on win lights. It didn't happen today, but it damn sure wasn't because of our oil. That stuff is the best on the market."

Morgan was not one of the mere five Pro Stock drivers who managed to make it down the Raceway Park quarter-mile under power in the first round.

"We needed the win there and didn't get it. I'm sore about it, but that won't fix anything. We just need to tighten up and stay after it,” Morgan said.

STREAK OVER - This event marked the first since the Aug. 18, 2013, race at Brainerd, Minn., that a John Force Racing driver was not in the Funny Car final round. The Brownsburg, Ind.-based organization’s streak ended at 15 races.

BETTER TIMES AHEAD - Steve Torrence not only didn’t win at Englishtown for the second time in three years, but the Capco Contractors Dragster owner-driver came away saying, “Drag racing is a sport of streaks. Right now, we’re streaking in the wrong direction.” But he said he’s still optimistic. “We can fix that.  It’s a long season and we’ve still got a good hot rod.” He’s in fifth place in the standings as the circuit heads to Bristol, Tenn., where he won last season.

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK -

TOP FUEL

KALITTA KEEPS TOP FUEL POLE - History repeated itself, which was a good thing for Doug Kalitta Saturday.

The veteran driver once again was fastest in the Top Fuel class at the Summernationals.

Kalitta ran a 3.748-second elapsed time to grab the pole position at Englishtown, N.J.

"We were running Richie Crampton out there and he ran a 75 down that right lane and I think everybody has been kind of concerned with that right lane," Kalitta said. "I would have to say after all the runs we have made here this weekend the lanes are finally pretty even. My Mac Tools car and Jim (Oberhofer) and all my guys we will take those green Mello Yello hats and hand them out because they deserved it. So far the thing has been running strong and going consistently down the track on all of our qualifying runs. I'm just real proud of those guys. I'm looking forward to (Sunday).

Kalitta held the pole after Friday with a pass of 3.756 seconds.

Kalitta, who arrived in Englishtown in the points lead, now has four pole positions in nine races this season.

Now Kalitta is hoping to add his third career Englishtown win to go along with the Wally trophies he won here in 2000 and 2003.

"It is a little cooler than it normally is here so I think it is helping everybody with the performances we are seeing," Kalitta said. "It should be a fun day out here (Sunday) I'm thinking. It's a love/hate relationship with this place and I would love to give the trophy to Connie (Kalitta). That would be cool."

BROWN GOING FOR FOUR IN HOME STATE - Despite some bad-mouthing of the right lane earlier this weekend, Antron Brown said, "Lane choice doesn't matter. People have run really good in both lanes. You just have to hit them hard and to the best of your ability. We'll just see where we end up.”

The native of nearby Chesterfield is competing in his 300th event – in front of his hometown crowd, who saw him finish runner-up here in Top Fuel in 2009 and 2010.

His task will be tough Sunday as he seeks his fourth victory in nine races. He drew Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army Dragster team for openers.  

"There are no easy opponents in this class. We know Tony and the Army guys will bring their best and it's going to take everything we can bring to get the job done," Brown said.

Brown’s Matco Tools team produced its best run of the weekend Friday night with a 3.786-second pass at 313.73 mph. He ran a 3.790, 319.07 in Saturday's last session.

"We're definitely trying to go harder and faster," he said. "It's a little tricky. We're working some stuff out, and that last run was a good one to get on the board before tomorrow.”

"We're ready for race day. We're going to go in there with our heads down. We ran a 3.79 that was about three hundredths off, so we can try to see where we can pick the car up. That's what our Matco crew does best."

COMING TOGETHER FOR KALITTA - Doug Kalitta already had planned to dine on steak and lobster Saturday night at a festive memorial for cousin Scott Kalitta, but being No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel with a 3.748-second, 327.66-mph effort in his Mac Tools Dragster was like icing on the dessert cake.

Kalitta said his car has “been running strong, going consistently down the track.” Referring to the crew chiefs for potent teammates Alexis DeJoria, Del Worsham, and JR Todd, he said, “We’ve got a good brain trust working together. It’s all kind of coming together.” He’s hoping the brain trust will find a way to top dangerous No. 16 qualifier Clay Millican.

Scott Kalitta was killed in a qualifying accident here in 2008, and each year since his team and friends have gathered here in the pits Saturday night to celebrate his life and accomplishments with dinner and sharing of fond memories. Doug Kalitta had Scott on his mind after securing his fourth top-qualifying position in nine races.

“Englishtown, it’s a love-hate relationship with this place,” he said. “I’d love to get the win and give the trophy to Connie [Scott’s father and Kalitta Motorsports team owner Connie Kalitta]. That’d be kind of cool.”

OUCH - Ray Murphy, a crew member for Top Fuel’s Terry McMillen, got a reminder late Friday about just how dangerous it is to stand on the starting line behind a dragster. As McMillen and crew waited for their Amalie Oil/UNOH Dragster to run, the tires of a car in the pairing ahead of them flipped a rock into the air. Murphy said he saw it coming straight at him but didn’t duck in time and ended up with a slight dent in his forehead. Murphy was stunned a bit but was back on the job Saturday, helping McMillen qualify 14th in the order. Also joining McMillen’s team to help crew chief Richard Hartman as an extra set of eyes and ears is veteran tuner Lance Larsen. McMillen and Shawn Langdon will go against each other in the first round of eliminations.

TOP FUEL TILTS – Brittany Force (No. 5) will face Spencer Massey (No. 12), who’s coming off back-to-back victories. It’s Richie Crampton (2) vs. Dom Lagana (15), Leah Pritchett (7) vs. JR Todd (10), Khalid alBalooshi (6) vs. Bob Vandergriff (11), Steve Torrence (4) vs. Morgan Lucas (13).    

FUNNY CAR

CRUZ PEDREGON REMAINS ON TOP IN FUNNY CAR - 
Cruz Pedregon couldn't match or back-up his historic nitro Funny Car lap Friday night of 3.958 seconds at Englishtown, N.J.

That run was the fastest recorded elapsed time since NHRA began racing Funny Cars and Top Fuel to 1,000 feet in July of 2008 at the Mile High Nationals in Denver.

Pedregon does have the track record and he's definitely ready for Sunday.

"We had the national record on the line and cool conditions and everything set up and it makes it more of a downer," Pedregon said. "I've been doing this long enough but it wasn't meant to be. We will go out there (Sunday) and race to win the race. If we happen to get in the 3s during the course of the race so be it."

During his first qualifying run Saturday, Pedregon admitted he overpowered the track.

"That doesn't concern me," Pedregon said. "(Sunday) is a new day. We were pressing a little too hard in that first run, at least in that spot. We had the car dialed back a little bit, but it was still pretty aggressive. We had such monster early runs (Friday) it is hard to tame a snake by the tail. We will take a little extra precaution at least in the first round and make sure we go down the track. If we have to turn it up to race somebody formidable and put it on boogie we can do that."

‘FREAK ACCIDENT WRITTEN ALL OVER IT’ - Cruz Pedregon has been in drag racing a long time and has seen a lot of crazy incidents. The Funny Car owner-driver can add one to his list – the one that happened to him Saturday at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals with a national record on the line and mineshaft conditions ready for him at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Conditions were ideal for him to back up his 3.959-second run for the national elapsed-time record and the 20 bonus points its brings.  His Snap-on Toyota Camry was towed off the starting line with a broken starter bracket. His consolation was keeping his No. 1 qualifying position and knowing he has another shot at the record during Sunday’s eliminations.

Pedregon will face Hackettstown native Terry Haddock, who used that last session to power his way into the field. He damaged the headers of his Patriot Grading/DiPinto Toyota Solara a little with his kamikaze-like blast, but his 4.245-second pass moved him into the No. 16 position.

Pedregon said his problem “had freak accident written all over it. It probably won’t happen again in my career. If we get the record in the course of the race, so be it.”  

WANTED: A LUCKY BREAK – Funny Car’s Matt Hagan said he has had a tough weekend and a tough season already and said his Mopar/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger team needs a break. If the No. 13 qualifier is going to get it Sunday in eliminations, he’ll have to knock out nemesis John Force in the first round.

"We're due. We're going to catch a break along the way and we might as well do it tomorrow. I'd love nothing more than to take Force out,” he said. “Those guys have been strong all year long. They've dominated, and we have to turn things around.

"I know my guys need a win. My guys need some round wins, some momentum. I think we can do it. I've got to go up there with the mentality that we are going to take everybody down tomorrow,” Hagan said. “You can't really go off how you qualify. I won my first race ever when we qualified in the No. 14 spot, so you never know.”

READY TO WIN - Ron Capps no longer is the quickest ever in the Funny Car class, but right now the NAPA Dodge Charger driver easily could mitigate his disappointment with a victory.

“With the track and the conditions we saw [Friday night], it's a decision the crew chief makes to either go for the quickest run you can make, whether it's to lower the Funny Car record, which we did here two years ago. It’s a lot of fun. Cruz [Pedregon] did that last night."

"Our NAPA Dodge is ready to win," Capps, a 41-time winner who’ll face DSR mate Tommy Johnson Jr. in the “Make A Wish” Dodge Charger, said. "[Crew chief] Rahn Tobler is a master when it comes to changing conditions like we've had at Englishtown, and I know we'll have a good car tomorrow."

FIGURING IT OUT OVERNIGHT - With a qualifying day that ended with an un-reassuring pass, Tim Wilkerson said Saturday that he needs “to analyze the data and some parts and pieces after the Q4 mistake, because there was no way that tune-up should've blown the tires off right at the hit. Something had to have malfunctioned, and we'll have to figure that out.”

He’ll need to be on top of his game against Round 1 opponent Courtney Force, who’s buoyed by her historic Topeka victory as the NHRA’s 100th female winner. She qualified seventh, Wilkerson 10th.
 
"It's not easy running anyone out here, from top to bottom, and Courtney is obviously running very well right now, after qualifying on the pole and winning Topeka,” Wilkerson said. “We'll just have to do our best to make her earn every bit of it. And if we're smart enough maybe we'll be able to get to the stripe first."

Force is 7-1 against Wilkerson in previous match-ups. She said, “It feels good having a consistent race car going into race day. We’ll be matched up against Tim Wilkerson, so we’ll do the best we can. We’re feeling confident right now, and we’ll see what we can lay down tomorrow.”

BECKMAN HAS CHALLENGE COINS - No. 5 qualifier Jack Beckman, in the Infinite Hero Foundation/Valvoline Funny Car, was strong in his first three qualifying runs but saved his best for last in Saturday's final session with a 4.017-second run at 318.99 mph. It was his quickest run of the year and the quickest Saturday by any Funny Car driver. He’ll race Chad Head in the first round. "I've got our Infinite Hero challenge coins that I'm taking on every run and the fans are eating them up at 100 bucks each. All of the proceeds go to help the soldiers."

 

OTHER PAIRINGS – Other Funny Car match-ups feature No. 2 Del Worsham against No. 15 Tony Pedregon, No. 3 Robert Hight against No. 4 Bob Tasca III, and No. 6 Alexis DeJoria against No. 11 Jeff Arend.

PRO STOCK

RE-CALCULATING - Elite Motorsports co-crew chief Rickie Jones stood outside, out from under his pit awning, Friday afternoon and stared up at the changing sky. He was studying the cloud patterns, the wind, the patches of sunshine over Raceway Park. He said he was trying to figure out what kind of tune-up to put under the hood of Erica Enders-Stevens’ Chevy Camaro.

As it turned out, he got only one shot at it that day rather than two, because the NHRA scrapped one of two qualifying sessions because of a track-repair delay. Jones’ calculations got her the provisional No. 12 spot in the order. But in Saturday’s first of two qualifying chances, Jones got it just right.

Enders-Stevens took the No. 1 position, recording the fastest speed in Pro Stock history at 215.55 mph with a 6.743-second elapsed time in the quarter-mile that tied her with four others as the second-quickest ever in the class.

Her national-record speed held up throughout the final session, but Allen Johnson stole the No. 1 qualifier honor from her by one-thousandth of a second in the last opportunity. So he’ll lead the field in eliminations, facing Chris McGaha in the first round Sunday. As No. 2 qualifier, Enders-Stevens will start her Sunday by racing Val Smeland.

ELITE TEAM APTLY NAMED - Enders-Stevens' speed mark raised her own national record by nearly one mph, and her elapsed time ended up being third-quickest in history.

"I'm really excited about how awesome this car is and how well things are going for us," Enders-Stevens said. "Raising our own national speed record is very cool, because in Pro Stock, speed is the best indicator of horsepower. So all glory to the guys once again for making awesome engines.

"We went out there today, in conditions we expect will be very similar to what we'll have tomorrow, and posted two super-fast passes,” she said. “What's exciting is I know there is more in the car. We definitely have something to be pumped up about for tomorrow because I don't think it's unreasonable for us to run even quicker."

Enders-Stevens already backed up her speed mark to make it an official record. Her 6.473-second E.T. is just two-thousandths of a second off the national record, so she is well within range to set an official record in that category, as well. National-record runs must be backed up with another run within one percent of the record at the same race to make it an official mark.

"The primary goal on race day is to get the car from A to B," Enders-Stevens said. "But if the opportunity to set the record is there and the guys feel confident we can go for it, we're not afraid to try.

"This run we're on is a great reward for the guys, especially after these last few weeks where they've been working around the clock to keep up with the engines, sleeping at the shop sometimes because there's not even time to go home,” she said. “I'm so blessed to have this team behind me, and I've never had so much fun racing."

Enders-Stevens is a two-time winner this year. She has led the standings for five consecutive races.

GREG ANDERSON – Greg Anderson is the Pro Stock driver who has earned the most victories at Raceway Park (five in six final rounds). But he’s in the middle of the pack for his fourth race since he had heart surgery.

“We love [this] race, that's for sure," Anderson said. “The last time I won was there was two years ago. It's time for me to get back to the winners circle, and I just think this would be the perfect place to do that. His most recent victory here capped his first race in his brand-new second-generation Chevy Camaro and gave Summit Racing Equipment/KB Racing team owner Ken Black his 100th triumph. It also came in an all-Summit/KB final round against teammate Jason Line. "That was a very special win – it was magical," Anderson said. "When I finally get back to winning again, it will be just as magical. This is my new racing career. This is my fresh start.” He drew Jonathan Gray as his opening-round opponent.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

WRONG KIND OF WIND - Eddie Krawiec had the wind Saturday that could have helped his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson become the first Pro Stock Motorcycle racer to hit the long-anticipated 200-mph performance mark. But it was blowing in the wrong direction. Nevertheless, the Old Bridge native who lives near Indianapolis will lead the Pro Stock Motorcycle field in Sunday’s eliminations, thanks to a track-record 6.747-second elapsed time at 198.90 mph.  

“That last qualifying run got a little hairy for me,” he said. “There’s a pretty good crosswind. It blew me hard right, and my bike would not correct. I was trying to lift, but I couldn’t. My front wheel was sort of crossed up.” He decided wisely not to push his luck: “It’s better off to say you can race your bike tomorrow than to try to be a hero.” His first-round opponent Sunday will be Angie Smith.

As for the milestone he said, “It was just not there today to go 200. Everybody was hoping. This tailwind turned into a crosswind. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

Conditions have to be just right, Krawiec said: “We’re not there naturally aspirated yet. We need the assistance of Mother Nature, meaning we need killer air and we need a tailwind. It’s definitely killer air – that’s showing in every class.”

Krawiec’s teammate, Andrew Hines, is the one who reopened the 200-mph topic that had shifted to the back burner for the past couple of seasons. Hines ran a 199.23-mph pass and settled into the No. 3 position in the 16-bike lineup behind Hector Arana Jr. Krawiec had flirted with the first 200-mph pass in competition, but the Harley tandem had more pressing concerns recently with redesigning its engines to meet the NHRA’s new specifications and trying to climb back to competitive form.   

OUT OF ACTION - Missing the cut in the bike class were Elvira Karlsson, Joe DeSantis, Justin Finley, and Junior Pippin.

 

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -

TOP FUEL

KALITTA CAPTURES ENGLISHTOWN’S PROVISIONAL TF POLE - Doug Kalitta has never won an NHRA Top Fuel world championship.

The veteran driver is doing his best to erase that fact in 2014.

Kalitta is leading the season point standings on the strength of three No. 1 qualifying positions this season and one victory.

He didn’t lose any momentum Friday at the Summernationals at Englishtown, N.J., the ninth race of the season.

Kalitta clocked a 3.756-second lap at 327.03 mph to capture the provisional pole at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

“It was good qualifying up front,” said Kalitta, who finished second in the Top Fuel points in 2003, 2004 and 2006. “It just kind of sets the stage for how things are going. I’m just real proud of my guys. They’re working their butts off on this thing and they are really making it run well. It is just a great opportunity to be driving this thing and I’m trying to make the best of it. That was definitely a good start for qualifying so far. Connie (Kalitta) is real passionate about the sport and it is great to see all our cars running pretty well. We will definitely be out here (Saturday) charging hard with all four cars.”

After Cruz Pedregon recorded the fasted nitro Funny Car run in NHRA history at 1,000 feet at 3.958 seconds Friday night, Kalitta thought the Top Fuel dragsters may also be making history of their own.

“I was kind of expecting the lower times as I was sitting there waiting to run,” Kalitta said. “I know Jim (Oberhofer, Kalitta’s crew chief) was trying to run like a 71 or something. He had it really loaded up, but it was a nice, smooth run and I’m glad we were able to get ahead of them.”

Kalitta has Englishtown victories in 2000 and 2003.

“I think they had to work on the right lane a little bit, but it seemed like everything kind of healed up out there for the most part,” Kalitta said. “There were good conditions for all the classes and it was good to see because we certainly don’t want to have a screwed up lane or anything like that. Everybody as competitive as they are, you hate to see a lopsided race track, but I think the track is good and hopefully it will stay cool (Saturday) and Sunday and the fans will be in for a good show.”

SECOND-HALF OUTLOOK - If the arrival of the Countdown has caused racers to segment the season, some might regard this weekend’s Toyota Summernationals as the start of the second half of the so-called “regular season” before the six-race playoff. But U.S. Army Dragster driver Tony Schumacher said his team’s goals will remain the same. That, he said, “is to be at our best every time we roll up to the starting line.”

He was fourth best at the end of two Friday sessions, for the record.

But Schumacher has claimed one victory this season, debatably off his pace. But that 73rd career victory has earned him a berth in the $100,000-to-win Traxxas Shootout and contributed to Don Schumacher Racing’s remarkable Top Fuel performance of six triumphs in eight events. (Colleagues Antron Brown and Spencer Massey have earned three and two Wally trophies, respectively.) While Schumacher hasn’t enjoyed consistency so far (despite qualifying in the top five at five of the first eight races), he nevertheless is one of only six drivers to advance to a Top Fuel final.

“We are a championship-winning team, and we’re working through some things,” he said. “The first part of the season hasn’t quite gone as planned but . . . we have to refuse to accept defeat. We know performing in the Countdown is what wins the championship. First you have to put yourself in a position to win it, and that’s what the next eight events are for. (Crew chief) Mike Green and (assistant crew chief) Neal (Strausbaugh) and all of the guys keep working to find ways to make this U.S. Army machine the best it can be. We’re close and have been able to put the numbers up during qualifying. Now we’re looking to back those up with results on Sunday.”

As for this 45th stop on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour at Englishtown, N.J., Schumacher said, “The place has so much tradition. It’s the closest race to major cities like New York and Philadelphia. There are so many people who come out. It makes you feel so good to wear the U.S. Army colors and see so many proud Americans with so much passion for our sport. The crowds are massive Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The atmosphere is really something special. It’s a place where you know so many legends of the sport have stared down that tree, raced to the top end and put their name on the win list there. We’ve only been able to do that once, so that’s something we’re really hoping to do again this weekend.”
 
THANKS, TOYOTA - Morgan Lucas was 10th in his return to the driver's seat of the Lucas Oil/GEICO Top Fuel dragster this weekend. His appearance at the Toyota-sponsored Summernationals, he said, was a way to say thank-you to the manufacturer, his team’s longtime marketing partner. He qualified 10th by the end of two Friday sessions.

"Toyota has been one of our sponsors for quite a few years now, and they've been a great partner of ours," Lucas said. "They've done a lot to promote us, our drivers, and our team. This is one of the races they sponsor, and we felt it was only right to make sure we pick one of their events when we're having some fun. Englishtown is a gamble whether the weather is going to be good. We want to make sure we go fast while I'm at it, so this is an opportunity to have my cake and eat it, too."

Teammate Richie Crampton, his fulltime successor, is tentatively seventh in the lineup.

"Anything after qualifying is a win," Lucas said of his own aspirations this weekend. "I'm not sure what the car count is, but one of the nice things about not racing full-time is you don't really have to concern yourself with that.” The class has 16 entrants.

"We just want to go out there and run respectable. We want to show people that we're not messing around,” he said.
 
FUNNY CAR

CRUZ PEDREGON ROCKETS TO TOP WITH WORLD RECORD RUN - This isn’t the blueprint two-time NHRA world champion nitro Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon had in mind for the 2014 season so far.

Pedregon, who arrived at the Summernationals in 11th place in the point standings, made a bold statement Friday night with a home run lap at Englishtown, N.J.

Pedregon clocked the fastest 1,000-foot elapsed time in nitro Funny Car history at 3.958 seconds in his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Pedregon’s elapsed time will become an NHRA national record if he can record another elapsed time within one percent of the mark during the weekend.

“It would mean a lot, more than words can say,” said Pedregon, about his feelings if he could set the national record. “Even if we don’t back it up to have the quickest ET slip of all time for Funny Car is really an honor and a pleasure and something I’ve worked and my team has worked really hard for. It is a great run. It comes at a good time. We haven’t really been on our game all year, except for the last race Sunday, when we turned it around. It is a continuation it seems like so far with that performance.”

Pedregon had a season-best runner-up finish to Courtney Force May 25 at the Kansas Nationals at Topeka, Kan.

“We are on a roll right now,” Pedregon said. “Had it not been for a supercharger issue we had in the final (against Courtney Force) the car should have run another 4.09 without even a problem. We came out here (Englishtown) and unloaded and (ran) 4.05 right on schedule. We are not doing anything different. I guess all those tire smokes and cylinders dropping in runs, they teach you something, we have to get it right eventually.”

Pedregon has 34 career NHRA national event Funny Car victories, including two at Englishtown in 1995 and 2000. He also has been the top qualifier at Old Bridge Township Raceway four times.

“I love the track, I love the facility,” Pedregon said. “It’s a nostalgia type of an event only from the simple fact that it is the Summernationals at Englishtown. I remember Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney, Don Prudhomme, those are the names that synonymous with winning this race and performing well here. I don’t know why we have had success here, it is just a good feeling about the place I guess.”

NHRA nitro Funny Cars and Top Fuel dragsters have been competing at 1,000 feet since the Mile-High Nationals at Denver, Colo., in July of 2008. NHRA implemented the change from a quarter-mile to 1,000 feet following the fatal crash of Scott Kalitta in his nitro Funny Car during qualifying in 2008 at Englishtown.

Pedregon said his car wasn’t even running on full power during its historic run.

“I think it might have dropped a cylinder early,” said Pedregon, whose car came across the line at 310.48 mph. “Had it run 320 (mph), I think it could’ve run a few clicks better than that, maybe 92, 93. It is really a credit to the speed early. The momentum just carried this thing. It was a rocket ship.”

CRUZ PEDREGON EYES NEW MILESTONES – Cruz Pedregon recorded his 500th career NHRA elimination round-win at Topeka and has two more milestones in close reach. With his next round victory, he will become just the fourth driver in history to win 500 Funny Car rounds, joining John Force, his own brother Tony Pedregon, and Ron Capps. Cruz Pedregon entered this event with 502 round-wins, but three of those came in the Top Fuel class. His next Funny Car event victory will tie him for fourth on the all-time list with Don Prudhomme at 35.

"That means more to me than anything I’ve ever done, more than championships. If I wasn’t fired up right now, I’d probably be an emotional wreck. Those round-wins were all so hard-fought. [I had] some great owners, Minor and Gibbs, and we went out on our own about 10 years ago. I’m going to haul off and say that’s probably the most meaningful record that I’ve ever had, 500 wins in Funny Car,” he said.

He said it’s remarkable “especially when you look at who I had to race. I had to race Force. I had to race that sucker in his heyday, but I had to race [legendary crew chief Austin] Coil in his prime. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I just want to keep adding to it and just keep proving to these guys that hey, the little guy just might have something to say about this stuff before it’s over with.”
 
TALKIN’ SMACK – Citing the 1980 comedy film “Stir Crazy” that starred Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder as prison inmates, Cruz Pedregon said he got out of his car Friday night after posting the quickest elapsed time in Funny Car history by mimicking the actors’ too-cool “That’s right. Uh-huh. We’re bad” lines at the top end of the track. “We’re talkin’ some smack, baby!” he said.

Pedregon was just being silly and excited about his 3.959-second run that will be the national record if he can clock a 3.999-second back-up pass before the close of the event.

But he wasn’t kidding around when he closed his press-room interview Friday by taking a swipe at what he perceived to be a touch of prejudice in drag racing.

“Of anybody I’ve ever patterned my career after, it would be the great Don Prudhomme. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, he was a tuner-driver, and not a lot of people liked him – just like me,” Pedregon said. “I think a little bit had to do with his race. And I know I’m going to open up something there. But I’m going to say what I have to say. But I think it was his skin color. People didn’t like that. What I got to say to that is: You want some, come get some. I’m opening up all kinds of cans of worms here – and I love it I love it!”
 
‘HELLHOLE OF A TRACK’ - Pedregon’s time eclipsed the 3.994-second run Kalitta Motorsports driver Del Worsham registered just before him in the DHL Toyota Camry. Worsham called it “a great run,” but his crew chief, Jon Oberhofer, snarled that “it’s good at this hellhole of a racetrack.” Oberhofer’s sentiment is understandable, for this is where in 2008 he lost his driver and close friend Scott Kalitta in a fiery qualifying crash.  Worsham’s 321.04-mph speed set the track record.

Doug Kalitta, Scott’s cousin and beneficiary of tuner Jim Oberhofer, Jon’s brother, was the tentative No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier Friday with a 3.756-second E.T. at 327.03 mph.

REALLY? - Odd as it sounds, John Force has been winless at Englishtown for 15 years. That’s the longest he has gone without a victory at any track on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series circuit. He even hasn’t reached the final round here since 2004.       

Still, he said Englishtown holds a special place in his heart, for the late Vinny Napp booked him in for some match races in his early days as an aspiring Funny Car driver. “It’s always special to come back to Englishtown, because that’s where I got my start,” Force, who’s closing in on 140 victories, said. “I hadn’t even been east of Phoenix when Vinny Napp booked me into one of his Funny Car races for the first time. Once that happened, a couple other promoters gave me a shot and it just grew from there.”

He and daughter Brittany were guests Thursday of St. Joseph’s Hospital at Wayne, N.J., home of longtime and outgoing John Force Racing sponsor Castrol. During that event, the medical staff received its first WT-960 TRAN-SIT® Car Transfer Simulator that will help patients reclaim their independence. It provides them a safe, convenient of regaining their basic driving skills within a controlled environment.

“I remember my [2007] crash and the doctors and nurses that worked in putting this old man back together to race again,” Force said. “Anything we can do to help people who have been in accidents and are trying to learn to drive again is pretty cool.”
 
PRO STOCK
 
JOHNSON DARTS TO TOP - Allen Johnson led the Pro Stock class Friday with a track-record 6.502-second pass at 213 mph on the Raceway Park quarter-mile in his Magneti Marelli Dodge Dart. Jason Line, driving the Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro, set the track speed mark at 213.40 mph.

“We picked up right where we left off at Topeka,” he said, noting that his outstanding runs have come “in totally different conditions. We go from Topeka being hot and grimy to here. You don’t get a better surface than that right there.”   

HOLY MOLY - A hole in the right lane caused the NHRA to scrap the Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes’ first session. The delay cost more than an hour. Johnson said, “It didn’t really throw us off, but we like to get four good qualifying sessions to figure out the track for Sunday. And that track tonight is not representative of what we’ll race on. Hopefully we can get two [passes] in on sunny conditions, which is what we’ll race on Sunday.”  
 
ON LINE FOR MORE HONORS - The Greg Anderson-Jason Line Summit Racing team has been exceptional at Raceway Park, with a combined eight victories in 10 final-round appearances. Line took to this track right away, winning in his Pro Stock debut season in 2004 to trigger a streak of three consecutive victories.

"Raceway Park is certainly a racetrack where the Summit Racing team has a lot of history," said Line, who owned the elapsed-time record at 6.508 seconds until Allen Johnson reset it at 6.502 Friday night, said. "When you have a track where you've had that much success, you always enjoy returning. The enthusiasm of the Pro Stock fans in New Jersey is pretty incredible, as well.”

Line had been hoping a cool-temperature forecast holds up. It was nirvana for the former NASCAR shop dyno operator, who gets as charged up in trying to squeeze every ounce of power possible from the 500-cubic-inch Pro Stock engines as he does driving his Camaro.

"It can be extremely fast there, but no matter what, that racetrack is one where you really have to be on your game," Line, who’s third in the standings, said. He finished the day with the track speed record at 213.40 mph. So he left Friday with at least one track mark.

Before qualifying began Friday, Line said, “We are definitely seeing progress, although sometimes it feels a little like one step forward, two steps back. The key is getting all the pieces together at once. Fortunately, we had a good start to the year. We have some work to do with my teammate Greg Anderson's car, but we're working on it and feel like we're on the right track.”
 
IT’S LIKE INDY - Vincent Nobile, from the Long Island suburb of Dix Hills, N.Y., said he remembered being extra-nervous when he raced here for the first time – on “hallowed ground” for a Northeasterner and in front of so many family members and friends. His nerves have settled down by this fourth season as a pro, and this weekend he arrived with six semifinal appearances in eight races and fresh from his top-qualifying position at Topeka.

“We’re definitely learning more and more,” Nobile, 22, said of his Mountain View Tire Chevy Camaro. “It’s a gradual process, but we’re getting a good handle on things. The consistency of the car has really impressed me. Going to six of eight semifinals is a pretty good stat, if you ask me. It’s just a matter of time before we start winning races and it wouldn’t surprise me if we won a bunch of them this year.”

He’d love nothing more right now than to start a streak here. “I would be able to compare this race to Indy and put it next to Indy as a must-win for me,” Nobile said. “It’s an important race for me because my whole family is going to be there. It would be great to win and share the winner’s circle with 100 friends and family.” He came close in 2011, finishing as runner-up in his first Pro Stock appearance here.

Nobile is ninth overnight.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

HAPPY HOMECOMING - Coming back home to Raceway Park for the Toyota Summernationals divides Eddie Krawiec’s emotions.

The Old Bridge native, whose formative years centered on this dragstrip and who worked for nearly two decades as its manager, naturally wants to perform his best as a three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle series champion aboard the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson. His pit space here this weekend is his office, but friends and family and work buddies constantly stop by, wanting to wish him well and visit about old times.

His dilemma is he enjoys both scenarios, and one interferes with the other.

But Krawiec somehow managed to satisfy both sides of his personality Friday, giving his cheering section something to cheer about. He led the Harley-Davidson tandem to a 1-2 showing in qualifying for Sunday’s eliminations with a 6.801-second pass at 197.80 mph on the Raceway Park quarter-mile.

He said earning that provisional No. 1 position in just one session was especially critical, because the bikes class and the Pro Stock car class lost the first session to an hour-plus delay while workers repaired a hole in the racing surface’s right lane.

“On a day you’re shorted a session, it means a lot,” Krawiec said.

Moreover, he said his team is “fishing around on the clutch combination to try to improve our reaction times.” So with teammate Andrew Hines directly behind him in the 16-rider order with a 6.835-second elapsed time at 194.94 mph, the Brownsburg, Ind.-based team maximized its limited time on the track.

CAN HALL HALT HARLEYS? - The Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson team is back on a roll after riders Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec locked up the final rounds at both Charlotte and Atlanta and are 1-2 in the standings. But Hamden, Conn., competitor John Hall, who for years competed with Krawiec on their 600 Supersport bikes at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park when both were starting out in drag racing, would like to interrupt the Harley heyday.

“I felt like I had a chance to win Gainesville and Charlotte, but with what Eddie was running in Atlanta, I didn’t feel like I had a chance to win that weekend,” Hall said. “I hope they don’t get out of reach, because there’s nothing for us to complain about this year — except for their exclusivity.” He was referring to the fact they have Harley-Davidson power, something the rest of the field cannot acquire.

Hall said, “They’ve worked hard and I take nothing away from them, but I hope it’s not a dominant position all year long. Last year was fun for everybody in the class and the fans with so many winners, and I hope that we don’t lose that.”

He’s lurking in third place in the standings to make sure. That’s thanks in part to his final-round appearance at the Charlotte Four-Wide race in April.

But his struggle against the Harley-Davidson duo showed up at Atlanta. There he qualified third behind the Harleys and lost to Hines in the semifinals, despite a stellar .012-second reaction time. “I had an .015 in the first round and got left on, an .030 in the second and got left on, then an .012 in the semi and lost,” Hall said.

“It was hard to get a hold of the track there in Atlanta. But we had the right clutch set-up, were in the right spot on the track, and had the best 60-foot [incremental time] of the whole weekend to make that third-place qualifying run in the first round. That gave us a pretty good baseline for Saturday and Sunday.” Whether the Englishtown weather and track will give him that same chance is unknown for the Matt Smith Racing teammate to the current champion Smith, Smith’s wife Angie, and Scotty Pollacheck.
 
B.R.A.K.E.S. GAINS ANOTHER ALLY - As he did at Atlanta, Pro Stock Motorcycle racer John Hall is displaying the logo of Doug Herbert’s B.R.A.K.E.S. Foundation on his Buell. Said Herbert, “John came to me and offered his bike as a 190-mph billboard to help raise awareness for the B.R.A.K.E.S. program. The fact that he has a daughter that will go through the program makes it that much better.”

Hall’s daughter, Mika, will be taking the free, advanced driver’s-education training through B.R.A.K.E.S.’ Teen Pro-Active Driving Course.

“I played golf in the B.R.A.K.E.S. tournament in Charlotte,” Hall said. “I’d been looking into it, because I wanted my daughter Mika to go to it. So at Charlotte, we’re in the lanes and I was talking to Doug about it. I approached him about spreading the word and said I’d be more than happy to put B.R.A.K.E.S. on the back of the motorcycle. And with Mika taking the course, I’ll get a close-up experience of the program.”

Herbert lost his two sons in an auto accident several years ago and started BRAKES as an education program to spare other young drivers. “I think it’s great how Doug has turned everything he’s gone through into a positive thing, so that nobody else has to go through what he has.” B.R.A.K.E.S. stands for Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe, and it’s a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
 
SPORTSMAN RACING

ACCIDENT - Super Gas racer Joe Rodack, of Philadelphia, left his ‘78 Camaro on his own power Friday afternoon following a qualifying accident. The NHRA emergency medical personnel examined Rodack on site. His condition was not made public.