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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK -

TODD WINS TF MILE-HIGH NATIONALS TITLE - Back in 2006, J.R. Todd made history at Bandimere Speedway when he became the first African-American to win an NHRA Top Fuel national event.

Sunday, Todd returned to victory lane at the Mile-High Nationals by defeating Brittany Force in the final round, and he was thrilled.

Todd clocked a 3.878-second lap at 317.87 mph to edge Force’s 3.968 effort.

“It’s way special, these things are hard to come by whether you are full time or part time,” Todd said. “I knew once I got the opportunity to drive for the Kalitta group that it was probably the best opportunity I was ever going to have to win one of these things. I’m pretty hard on myself when one gets away that I felt we should have won and I felt like we have had a couple of shots at it this year and it just got away from us. It’s nice coming back here to the mountain and pick up the win.”

This is Todd’s seventh career win and first since 2008 when he beat Tony Schumacher in the finals at Dallas.

“The only thing missing was Conrad (Kalitta),” Todd said. “He misses one race a year and this is it because of the elevation and the heat and it’s hard on him. It’s nice to get the win for him and prove that he made the right decision in hiring me.”

Todd went from being out of a ride to getting a job as the driver of the second dragster for Kalitta Motorsports after the second round of qualifying at the March 29 event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Todd replaced veteran driver David Grubnic.

Todd qualified No. 10 at the Mile-High Nationals and proceeded to beat Terry McMillen, Steve Torrence and Larry Dixon before ousting Force.

Todd blew the motor right at the finish line against Dixon, making things hectic in the Kalitta Motorsports pits before the finals.

“I didn’t realize it was as bad as it was,” Todd said. “That’s the beauty of driving for the Kalitta gang. They have four great teams back there and all four teams were working together and it was like controlled chaos. Luckily that rain came in and slowed up the show and we were ready to go.”

HIGHT GETS FIFTH WIN BY BEATING BOSS AT BANDIMERE - The last time Robert Hight won four races in a season [2012], he didn’t win another for almost sixteen months. Hight entered the NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals with four wins and a dry victory spell dating back to May.

Success rained down on Hight in the final round over the weekend, his seventh of 2014, when, following a rain-delay at Bandimere Speedway he defeated his boss and father-in-law John Force.

“We have just had some bad luck here and there,” said Hight, who in winning has three career wins at Bandimere. “You need luck, and even when we were winning we had some luck. It’s good to be back.”

Hight admitted that since he won his fourth event this season, the memories of 2012 have been in the back of his mind.

“As you can see, it isn’t that easy to win out here,” said Hight. “There are really good racers in this class and we were racing the 16-time champion in the final round. It’s like he won last week and he’s on a roll. We just had to go up there and do what we knew to do.”

Hight entered Denver with a nine-round lead on Force, with just four races left in the regular season. But up on the mountain, nothing or no one seemed to be slowing Force.

Force outperformed Hight in every round of competition up to the semis, when even though he beat Ron Capps, his 4.08 run was thrown out when race officials declared the infra-red beams were held open. The run cost Force lane choice in the finals.

Force, the No. 1 qualifier, had made his best runs in the left lane and had raced there throughout Sunday’s final eliminations.

All weekend long, the teams of Force and Hight appeared to be on the same page of an exclusive book.

“We work really well together,” Hight pointed out. “I knew we were going to give the fans a good race. Four runs we were side-by-side, and of course John went down every time. Those first three [qualifying] runs, we were side-by-side and running stellar.”

Hight bragged on track owner John Bandimere and called Bandimere Speedway “the coolest track” in the country because of its unique cooling system built into the starting line.

“The fans are treated to a really great race,” said Hight.

The weekend marked the one year anniversary since Force made the decision for him and Hight to switch cars, crews and tuners. Force won the 2013 championship and Hight won this weekend’s race.

And the most impressive winning point? Hight drove to victory in a brand-new race car.

“We came out with a new car this weekend and want to make sure it’s ready for the Countdown,” Hight said. “If they hadn’t told me it was a new car, I never would have known. Usually new cars drive me crazy.”

JOHNSON WINS PS MILE-HIGH NATIONALS AGAIN - Different year, same ending – at least in Pro Stock at the Mile-High Nationals.

Allen Johnson won his latest title at Bandimere Speedway when his teammate Jeg Coughlin recorded a redlight in the final round.

“This team just continues to find a way to do it,” said Johnson, the 2012 NHRA world champion. “We want to win here for Mopar and Magneti Marelli. My guys step up and I step up when I need to step up. It’s a confidence thing and it’s a want-to thing and it’s deep in our gut and we just keep doing it.”

Johnson, who pilots a Team Mopar Dart, won his third Mile-High Nationals title in a row and the sixth of his career. He’s been to eight consecutive final rounds at Bandimere Speedway.

This was Johnson’s fourth win of the season and 24th of his career.

“The (Mile-High Nationals) was the first race I ever qualified for in 1996,” Johnson said. “This race is very important for us. It’s almost like the championship to us - it excites all the Mopar executives and everybody that comes out to watch us.”

It’s not as if Johnson needed any fuel to get going Sunday, considering the way he felt after he lost the No. 1 qualifier spot to Jason Line Saturday night.

“It’s definitely extra motivation,” Johnson said. “Those guys are a great bunch of guys and it put fire in my belly when he took my No.1 spot from me. It fired me up for (Sunday) and it fired Jeg up for (Sunday). When Jeg took him (Line) out in the semifinals I was ready to jump on the hood of his car when he came around the corner. It put both of us in the finals and it was a great day at that point. Jeg is a great teammate and we are perfect teammates. He is that good. He amazes me.”

PSM RIDER HINES BACK ON TOP AT MOUNTAIN - Andrew Hines made his NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle debut at the Mile-High Nationals in 2002.

Fast-forward to 2014 and Hines is still going strong. The veteran rider proved that again Sunday at the Mile-High Nationals.

Hines, who pilots the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, clocked a 7.246-second time at 184.35 mph to defeat Michael Ray, who slowed to 9.033 seconds.

“The team put our new bike together three days before the Norwalk (July 3-6) event and then capped it off by getting a Wally for it, which was icing on the cake,” Hines said. “Every little movement you make on the motorcycle up here (at Denver) is compounded because the motorcycle just doesn’t have the horsepower to recover from it. So, the straighter the run you can make up here the better. Your shift points are all timed differently on the race track and the motor is revving totally different than at any other race track, so it throws your mental timing off going from Norwalk to here and then we are going to go back to Sonoma (this Friday through Sunday) which is one of the fastest tracks on the tour. Coming in here (to Denver) you have to be totally focused on what’s going on. Luckily with the way the V-rod was running all weekend, nice and straight, you can just focus on the shift light and hit the button and move the shift light RPM wherever you need to and just adjust from that.”

Hines beat Angie Smith, Jim Underdahl, Steve Johnson and Ray during his victory march.

This was Hines’ fourth win of the season and 36th of his career and third at the Mile-High Nationals (2006, 2010 and 2014).

“I lived in Colorado (Trinidad) for 10 years so coming back to this track is very special,” said Hines, who also maintained his No. 1 spot in the season point standings. “I made my first laps here professionally in 2002 and I love this place.”

RANDOM RACE DAY NOTES

A CLARIFICATION - During our coverage of the NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals, in our Same Day Notebook we reported "Big" Al Lindsey didn't make the trip with McGaha Racing to the event in order to tend to personal business. This is partially true.

Lindsey confirmed with us; he was at home tending to personal business but added he had resigned his position at the team to closer deal with personal family matters in Oklahoma.

Lindsey said he plans to return to Pro Stock racing in the future adding, "I have no intention of retiring from drag racing. I'm just looking for the right fit with another team for myself and my family."

BUSINESS RIGHT OFF THE BAT - Antron Brown entered the first round of eliminations trailing Doug Kalitta by 49 points.

Kalitta has experienced his worst weekend, parts wise, of 2014, qualifying on the bottom half of the ladder.

Brown didn’t make his weekend any better by snagging a holeshot win, 3.903 to 3.899.

Kalitta, up until this event, was the only nitro racer in competition without a first round loss.

THE AIR UP THERE - The density altitude on race day was in the 9,200 foot range.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? - Jenna Haddock was just happy to qualify, but what happened in the first round left the first-time Top Fuel racer, as well as drag racing fans worldwide, stunned.

In her first-ever round of competition, Haddock took out No. 1 qualifier Tony Schumacher, 4.27, 232 to 4.79, 182

“It’s amazing, I cannot believe this is happening,” said Haddock following the monumental victory.

A disappointed Schumacher put the loss in perspective.

“We definitely didn’t take anything for granted,” Schumacher said. “The cars are going down the track, so we must have been under power. It can quiver from being too aggressive or being underpowered. The No. 1 spot isn’t always the best place to qualify. We’ve probably had the most people win their first races against us."

HELPING HAND - The only negative byproduct of winning a huge opening round race against Schumacher reared its head in the Haddock camp. With half of the team still on the starting line awaiting Terry Haddock’s first round Funny Car race against Cruz Pedregon, a skeleton crew was back in the pits helping Jenna Haddock’s team prepare for a second round match against Brittany Force. 

The team was running well behind schedule until tuner Rob Wendland, who is assisting Jeff Diehl this weekend, and the crew of Jack Chrisman’s team pitched in to get the Patriot-sponsored dragster prepared for the quarterfinal round. Unfortunately for her, Haddock’s day ended against Force.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME TOO? - Steve Johnson pulled off one of drag racing’s finest rope-a-dope maneuvers. With a bike ailing shortly after the burnout, Johnson rolled to the starting line in hopes Adam Arana would make a mistake. The plan went as expected with Arana turning on the red-light (-.053). Johnson merely took the green light and the win.

Almost as odd as the race was the sight of Johnson, skipping and kicking his heels with full leathers and helmet on in leaving the starting line.

Johnson’s second round victory over Eddie Krawiec was a little more conventional as he won on a holeshot, 7.258 to 7.240.

AL-ANABI ALL GONE - Bandimere Speedway will continue to be one of four tracks where the Alan Johnson-managed Al Anabi Racing team hasn’t won a race. Defending series champion Shawn Langdon [Richie Crampton] and Khalid al-Balooshi [Brittany Force] both lost in the first round.

STILL WINLESS ON THE MOUNTAIN - Alexis Dejoria, a two-time winner in 2014, continued her misfortunes at Bandimere Speedway with a first round loss against Matt Hagan.

BACK IN - Tim Wilkerson’s victory in the second round over Jack Beckman was a thrill of victory and agony of defeat moment for two drivers. For Wilkerson, the victory over Beckman pushed him back into the top ten and in turn pushed Beckman out.

"Well, the clutch just basically came out of the car," Beckman said. "In other words, the facing kind of disintegrated on one disc and when that happens you're not applying the power to the rear end, it's slipping the whole way and the engine runs away from the car and you stop accelerating.

"It's a shame because I really think that Rob (Flynn) and Chris (Cunningham) had a great tune-up in it. I actually think that our car easily would've been low elapsed time of that round. It's a woulda-coulda-shoulda situation."

BIG HELP - Greg Anderson entered Sunday’s eliminations trailing tenth-place Jonathan Gray by 45 points, a little under three rounds. Teammate Vincent Nobile pushed Gray into a foul while Anderson scored a first-round win on a holeshot. A loss to Jeg Coughlin impeded Anderson’s progress and he enters Sonoma trailing by 25 points.

21 AND GONE - The longest active first round winning streak of 21 by Shane Gray came to an end in the first round.

THAT’S A CLOSE MATCH - The second-round match between Dave Connolly and Erica Enders-Stevens represented the closest Pro Stock match of the year when his .007 starting line reaction lead to an .0003 margin of victory, the equivalent of one-inch.  Connolly was the only Gray Motorsports team member to advance past the first round.

IT’S OFFICIAL, THEY’RE TAKING A BREAK - Erica Enders-Stevens will skip the NHRA national events in Sonoma, Calif., and Seattle in order to better prepare for the rapidly-approaching Countdown to the Championship, Elite Motorsports team owner Richard Freeman announced Sunday at Bandimere Speedway. Enders-Stevens has led the points since March, making her the most prolific racer in the pro classes this season.

"This has been the game plan for us from the start," Freeman said. "The fact we've had such a great year and Erica has been driving so well is bringing more attention to this move but we never intended to run the entire schedule. We don't have a major sponsor, so there are no commitments to fulfill. The rest of our supporters are totally onboard.

"We've got some things we want to work on to prepare for the last few regular-season races and especially the Countdown. I really believe we'll still be in the points lead, even skipping Sonoma and Seattle, or we'll be close enough to get that No. 1 ranking back in the two races before the Countdown starts."

Enders-Stevens leads the Pro Stock class with four victories this season, also winning the non-points K&N Horsepower Challenge in Las Vegas. She has collected at least one round-win at every race and has led the points standings after 10 of 14 races. Her 241-point lead at the start of this weekend's race is the largest in any professional class

GAME ON – Dave Connolly in his quarter and semifinal matches carded .007 and .003 reaction times. His worst light was an .03 in the first round.

A REMINDER - JR Todd returned to Bandimere for the first time in six years. Some aspects never change for the Kalitta Motorsports driver.

“Running out here reminds me just how out of shape I’m in,” Todd admitted.

ROUGH PATCH EXTENDED - A tough streak continued on Sunday for Spencer Massey. After qualifying 13th for the 16-car field, Massey lost in the first round of competition to Bob Vandergriff.

"That was tough," said Spencer. "We've just been struggling up here on the mountain this week. The car starts out fine but we have had trouble getting it to the finish line and that's what happened on that run."

It was the third consecutive first-round loss for Massey, who has won event titles this season near Atlanta and at Topeka, Kan. The opening-round loss on Sunday dropped them one spot to sixth in points standings with four races remaining before the top-10 field is set for the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff.

"We definitely need to go some rounds in Sonoma and Seattle to make up for our misfortunes here lately. We'll get it together and go after it in Sonoma."

 

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK -

FUNNY CAR

HE’S A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH - John Force once again claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.


As the fans packed stands at Bandimere Speedway, they were treated to an awesome spectacle and witnessed history as the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion smashed both ends of the track record with a 4.049 second run at 318.39 mph.

“I got a great race car and some days I forget about that. And yeah, we have to chase corporate America, it’s what it’s all about or you can’t be here. But, without a good race car, you aren’t going to be here anyway or least on the level to be competitive. It takes money to compete and I’ve got that race car now and I’ve got more energy and more fire,” said John Force.

After blazing the track record and securing the number one spot yesterday, Force made two more qualifying runs today to see if he could improve on what was already a stellar run from Friday night. As the temperatures increased today, the track conditions were not as favorable and traction became a major issue not just for John, but for other drivers as well.

In the first session today, John’s Castrol GTX High Mileage Funny Car was on a great run until it lost traction near the finish line. The fans in the stands got to see the seasoned veteran wrestle his stampeding Mustang away from the centerline and the wall and keep it in the groove. The result was a less than stellar 4.216 second run at 277 mph.

“It got lose but we’re playing the heat and seeing what we can get away with. Jimmy (Jimmy Prock, crew chief, Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang) has his game face on. We did set both ends of the track record last night and the bottom line, we’re going after this Western Swing and see if we can start here in Denver,” said Force.

Force will face Jeff Diehl in the opening round on Sunday but he doesn’t take any opponent lightly. “There’s a whole bunch of other kids that are just as bad as us and they can whip you. Right know though, we got a race car that goes down the track, even when it’s hot. We trucked on down Bandimere Speedway today and even smoking the tires on the first run, we were second quickest for that session,” said Force.

The last time John Force was in the finals at the Mile-High NHRA Nationals was 2011 when he defeated Matt Hagan. The reigning NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champ has won here seven times and with his recent trip to the winners circle two weeks ago in Norwalk, he’d like to keep his winning streak going while adding another victory to an impressive list of stats.

GENIUS MOVE - Oh what a difference a year can make.

Just days before last season's NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals, team owner John Force made a shocking move when he announced he'd traded cars, crews and, more shockingly, crew chiefs with teammate Robert Hight.

Force went on to win his sixteenth championship and this year, Hight has been a dominating point leader.

“We were all on board with the team swap because John had a plan," said Hight. "It worked out great for John Force Racing. Mike Neff and I went on to win the U.S. Nationals, John got the Mello Yello championship, and we are in the points lead,” said Hight, a four-time winner in 2014.

This season Hight has been in the points lead for ten consecutive events and his personal best streak is 12 events, which should be broken at the end of the Western Swing when you consider he has a 178 point lead over second place.

Top Fuel racer Larry Dixon, who was doing color commentary last season, pointed out at one event afterwards, "John Force is looking like the smartest guy on the property now."

“People questioned what we were doing, but we got our 16th NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car championship," Force said. "So we must have been doing something right."

BRING ON THE NASTINESS - Cruz Pedregon is no fair-weather tuner. And, when you race up on the mountain, the atmospheric conditions are anything but fair.

Let the record reflect the two-time series champion thrives when Mother Nature is unfair.

Bandimere brings the kind of conditions that I absolutely love," said Pedregon. "The hotter the better ... bring it ... is my outlook on those conditions. Not just Denver but anywhere really. The more challenging the race track the better I like it."

Two years ago, Pedregon broke his 4.09 track record with a 4.07,  once characterized as his most impressive run ever. One journalist even claimed the upper-deck shot was strong enough to eliminate the entire upper deck altogether.

Pedregon said only his 3.95 from early this year was more impressive.

"It didn’t make Run of the Year for National Dragster that year, but to me it was because the challenging part about a track like that to run not only do you have horsepower a mile high, but you also have the lack of traction with the lack of downforce. To me that’s a double whammy."

Pedregon had a double whammy of a day, first in smoking the tires in Q-3 and failing to improve in the final session when the car would not shift into reverse following the burnout.

Pedregon, in looking back on his impressive Bandimere runs, says the most important aspect is not in making his car run fast but in coming back to what the track will allow. Being aggressive in backing a car down is just as important as being forceful in going fast.

"The challenging part is you just have to smart enough to recognize the conditions for what they are," said Pedregon. "Really it’s about like going on offense and then you have to go on defense. It’s like in boxing, you have to have your offense but then you’ve got to put up your arms and something completely different. So I think the challenge for anybody who has a fast car whether it’s an old track, or an old drag race car, the things that make you fast you probably have to exaggerate and go the other way which is intuitively backwards, but it’s exactly what you have to do. If you get too into offense you get yourself in trouble. To me I enjoy the challenge of going the other direction."

OFF THE ISLAND - Outside of the top ten with five races to go isn't where Tim Wilkerson wants to be. Wilkerson fell out after a lackluster Norwalk performance.

"We've had to do some miraculous things to make the Countdown in the past, and we've also had some solid Western Swings to make sure we were safe before we ever got to Indy," Wilkerson said. "The hard part is looking at the class and trying to figure out who doesn't make it. You're talking about a class that's full of great teams, with lots of resources. We just have to be confident in what we can do and then go out there and claim it. Nobody is going to hand us anything, and you don't get in the playoffs because people want you there. We need to win rounds, plain and simple, and this weekend would be a good time to do that.

"What gives us all a lot of confidence is how we've done on the Western Swing in the past. We know how to win at all these tracks, and we've got a history of doing that. We're going to have a lot of people pulling for us this weekend, including Dick Levi on Saturday, so we'll take all that support and pour it right in the fuel tank. We enjoyed the weekend off, but we're ready to go."

Wilkerson heads into Sunday's eliminations as the No. 3 qualifier.

UH OH - Tim Wilkerson went cone bowling in the final qualifying session. Wilkerson was fine but the same couldn't be said for the cones.

PROUD SERVICE - Jack Beckman wears his military background proudly and this weekend has shown his profound respect for members past and present of the U.S. Armed Forces by flying the colors of the Infinite Hero Foundation.

Beckman was in the U.S. Air Force in 1984, stationed about 20 minutes from the track when he attended his first race at Bandimere.

While Jack was focused on getting his Dodge Charger R/T to the finish line during qualifying Saturday, there was nothing he or any of his competitors could have done to match the accomplishments of guests this weekend.

"I'm not going to talk about qualifying runs, tune-ups or the race track," he said Saturday evening. "I'm going to talk about Infinite Hero Foundation and the heroes we have out here with us this weekend.

"Army Sgt. Neil Duncan is here with us. He lost both of his legs in war and then decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to show it can be done. He's an inspiration not just to all amputees but to all of us. To have him here is unbelievable.

"And Chief Warrant Officer Gary Linfoot and his wife Mary are here with their son. Gary was paralyzed when his helicopter crashed and thanks to the Infinite Hero program he is the first military hero to receive an Ekso suit for personal use.

"All of this was under the Infinite Hero umbrella this weekend. I am so proud to be around this group of people. Driving a Funny Car is icing on the cake ... whatever happens, happens. But winning with those colors on our Dodge Charger R/T would be hard to ever match."

HADDOCK GOES LONG – Rarely does one go to the mountains and visit the beach. Terry Haddock accidently did it on Saturday at Bandimere.

Haddock ran a 4.46 to land in the No. 13 spot but not without hitting the sand trap.

“It broke the parachute lever and when I reached up to hit it, I realized that wasn’t going to happen,” said Haddock. “I kept pumping the brake to help keep it out of the bushes.”

LOOKING AT THE BRACKETS - Here are Sunday's elimination pairings.

TOP FUEL

TAKING THE MOUNTAIN - Tony Schumacher raced to his first No. 1 qualifying position of the year and his career first in his storied career at Bandimere Speedway.

In his U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, Schumacher earned the No. 1 qualifying position on Friday with a pass of 3.823 seconds at 319.75 mph. No driver was able to best the effort and Schumacher retained the No. 1 qualifying position, which is the 73rd in his career. He will face Jenna Haddock, who makes her career first Top Fuel start on Sunday.

"We went down the track four times, we made it to the finish line four times,” said Schumacher. “Two runs were better than the other two but we are still getting there and a lot of people are struggling. The key is to take the horsepower we have, and this is a hard place to make horsepower, and we have some good power and slide it on down through there.”

POINT LEADER STRUGGLES - Points leader Doug Kalitta qualified his Mac Tools dragster in the bottom half of the field in 11th, which is the first time the team qualified lower than eighth this season. Kalitta will face Antron Brown, who qualified sixth, in the first round on Sunday. Steve Torrence qualified in the No. 2 position in his Capco Contractors dragster with a run of 3.831 at 322.96. This is his best qualifying position in seven races and will face Steve Chrisman in the first round on Sunday.

KING OF SPEED ON THE MOUNTAIN – Steve Torrence established the fastest run on the Mountain. His 3.831 elapsed time kept him second in qualifying but his 322.96 was good enough for top speed and track record.

“We’ve had a great race car all year,” said Torrence, who ran 276.92 miles per hour to the eighth-mile. “I’ve done everything I could to screw it up. I’ve had red-lights, bad lights. I’m proud of this team. I hope we can go rounds tomorrow and redeem ourselves with the kind of car we had at the start of the year.”

The 31-year-old Texan, a four-time winner on the NHRA tour, will take on No. 15 qualifier Steve Chrisman of Anaheim, Calif., in Sunday’s first round, trying to end a winless streak that has stretched beyond one calendar year.  He last celebrated in the winners circle in May, 2013, at Bristol, Tenn.  

Although Tony Schumacher got the No. 1 starting spot, Torrence grabbed the bulk of the qualifying bonus points.  The former Top Alcohol Dragster world champion was quickest in the first and final sessions; second quickest in the second and third.  That earned him all but two of the maximum points available.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING - Bandimere Speedway is just one of four race tracks on which the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series competes that the Al-Anabi Racing Team has never won a race. The other three are Epping, N.H., Ennis, Texas and St. Louis.

ALLIGATOR ON THE MOUNTAIN – Terry McMillen would be wise to have more team meetings. Following a “get-together” with the crew, the Amalie Oil-sponsored driver thundered to a 3.887, 319.14 to land in the seventh position, his first top-half seeding of the season.

“That’s a scary thought with us being up there in the top half,” admitted McMillen. “Amalie motor oil has been behind us for so long. We’ve been struggling but we came to this mountain to do well. Richard, Ray and Lance, and the entire crew team had a group meeting before the run and we are motivated to turn this thing around. The car has been trying to run that number all weekend long. The last couple of changes we made, picked it up and made it run real strong. Mile High is a place to rock for us today.”


McMillen admitted his first Saturday run wasn’t as gratifying.

“On a decent looking pass but broke a fuel line,” said McMillen. “Sprayed me a little. Nitro soaked underwear doesn't work; I came back with some fresh drawers.”

SUNDAY'S PAIRINGS - Here's how the Top Fuel ladder shakes out.

IT’S NOT HOW YOU START … - Spencer Massey sat 12th on the qualifying list following Friday night's two session. Saturday fared better but not better in Sunday's race day seeding.

Massey enters eliminations from the 13th qualifying position.

"It's just been real tough up here on the mountain," Massey said. "Sunday is the day where it really matters. We didn't really have a good opportunity to run in the heat during qualifying and that's what we're going to see on Sunday."

Massey ran his best run of the weekend, a 3.989-second effort in the mile-high thin air during the third qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.

"Last year when we won the race we didn't even run under 4 seconds throughout qualifying and we won the event with 3.9-second passes all day on Sunday. You just have to take your car up there on Sunday with a tune-up that will go down the track. That's the toughest part. You just have to get down the track here."

JR GETS NO. 9 – JR Todd ran a 3.928 to lead the second half of the field into Sunday’s final eliminations.

IN THE FIELD – Steve Chrisman slipped into the No. 15 spot with a 4.173.

TICKET IS PUNCHED INTO THE FIELD – After a planned shutoff run during Friday qualifying, Top Fuel novice Jenna Haddock returned on Saturday, and despite losing a cylinder at the hit, managed to limp the Patriot Grading dragster through with a 4.557, good enough for the final spot in the field.

ONE AND DONE – Top Fuel low bucker Rob Passey sat out the entire first day of qualifying on Friday. He gained his spot in the show with a 4.792 during the third session. However, Passey opted to sit out the final session, and Clay Millican’s 4.17 made him the lone DNQ.

PRO STOCK

BREAKING TRADITION PAYS OFF – Jason Line opted not to test at Bandimere Speedway, a tradition which has usually preceded his participation at the NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals. His team’s decision to stay back at the race shop instead and work on their engine program proved to be a wise choice as Line drove his way to the No. 1 qualifying spot with a 6.924, 197.97 to dethrone Allen Johnson.

Saturday’s No 1 qualifier is his first of the season and his second at Bandimere Speedway. He will face Steve Kalkowski in the first round of eliminations.

“I can’t tell you how hard everybody has been working at the shop,” said Line. “It’s been a tough grind but we are tired of running bad and tired of losing. At some point, you get kicked enough and you get up and do something about it. We are definitely at that point. I didn’t think we could be No. 1, but I knew that we would be good.”

And yes, he was surprised; almost as surprised as those who learned who he credited.

“Man, this is unbelievable. I am surprised. Beating the rubber cranks up here on their turf is pretty tough to do. It feels pretty good. I gotta thank Mike Edwards for giving me a little help. I appreciate it and it feel good to be No. 1.”

DOWN A NOTCH - Friday's low qualifier Allen Johnson has five career wins at the facility and qualified second with a run of 6.928 at 198.90. He will battle Tommy Lee.

WE DON’T NEED NO STINKING TESTING EITHER – Greg Anderson made the largest jump amongst the Pro Stock drivers in the Q-4 session by ascending into the No. 4 spot before falling to friendly rival Jeggie Coughlin, who relegated him to fifth a pair later. He made his best run of the weekend with a 6.937 elapsed time.

“I think I have outdone myself this weekend,” said a jovial Anderson. “At least for a moment I was in the top half of the top half. No. 5 is the best I have done since coming back this year. The car is running better than ever. My hat’s off to the guys and we have had a great week. It’s showing on the race track today and I cannot wait to lock horns on Sunday.”

Anderson, who trails Jonathan Gray for tenth spot in the Countdown, trails by a little under three rounds.
 

HOW ERICA FARED - Points leader Erica Enders-Stevens drove her Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro to the No. 3 starting spot with a 6.934 at 198.61 and will face Larry Morgan when eliminations begin.

BACK IN PLAY – Jeggie Coughlin didn’t have a good Friday, by his high standards. The defending NHRA series champion missed the provisional twelve cut on Friday. Saturday was a different story.

Coughlin, who rarely runs in the first pairs of cars, reeled off a 6.953 in the second pair of cars. The run propelled him into the No. 6 spot. He later improved with a 6.937 to land in the fourth spot.

“It’s a new and improved day for us up on the mountain,” said Coughlin. “Much cleaner run … it’s tricky up here from behind the wheel. The shifts come a lot sooner. Not making the good runs yesterday got me behind a bit, and not making any test laps.”

JUMPING INTO THE SHOW – Jonathan Gray also missed the cut on Friday, and in the lane opposite Coughlin jumped up to the eighth quickest with a 6.977.

 

 

KRAMER VS. COUGHLIN – Deric Kramer’s 6.993 was good enough to land him in the No. 13 spot and put him against Jeggie Coughlin in the first round.

TRIFECTA COMPLETE - Vincent Nobile completed the KB Racing top-half trifecta as his 6.969 claimed the No. 8 spot and a match against Jonathan Gray. A victory by Nobile and a race win by Anderson could put him in the Countdown.

SIGN OF THE TIMES – Tom Hoover, the heralded father of the 426 Hemi, joined announcer Alan Reinhart during the Q3 Pro Stock qualifying session.

Hoover immediately reveled in the parity of the class. Less than .05 separated the No. 1 through No. 10 qualifiers.

“I am impressed with the way they bunch up together,” said Hoover. “Back in the day we couldn’t have done that if our lives depended on it.”

THE FUTURE – Following the conclusion of the Q-3 session, the NHRA brought two Mopars to the starting line for an exhibition match race. One was the new 700-horse SRT Hellcat and the other was a numbers-matching 1971 426-inch Challenger. Richard Rawlins of Gas Monkey/Fast N Loud made quick work of the classic with a low 12-second run in the high altitude of Denver’s Bandimere Speedway.

SWEET SIXTEEN – Steve Kalkowski made the trip from Ogallala, Nebraska a worthwhile one as he put his Pontiac GXP into the No. 16 spot. He faces Jason Line in Sunday’s first round.

 

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

LITTLE HECTOR COMES UP BIG - Hector Arana Jr. will lead the Pro Stock Motorcycle field into eliminations on Sunday as the No. 1 qualifier with his run of 7.178 at 186.72, which are both Bandimere Speedway track records. It is his first No. 1 qualifying position of the season and the fourth consecutive No. 1 qualifying for the Arana family at the facility. Hector Arana took the top spot in 2011, Arana Jr. was the top of the field in 2012, and Adam raced to No. 1 in 2013. Arana Jr. will face Charles Sullivan in the first round.

“We put in the tune-up we had from last year, the motor is different, but we put in the same tune-up,” Arana stated. “The motor is running really strong so the combination all came together. We have a good setup for this mountain and all I can say is I didn’t expect to run that good.”

QUANTUM LEAP – Eddie Krawiec rebounded just one pair after being bumped down to the No. 8 spot. He leapt all the way to the No. 3 spot with a 7.208 second elapsed time.

“We’ve been a little behind on my motorcycle and had some glitches,” said Krawiec. “We got it straightened out and come out here today and ran pretty well. We tried something new on Andrew’s tune-up for the final pass, and went the right way on mine. I think we have two fast Harley-Davidsons running out here and we are excited.”

FROM THE OUTHOUSE TO THE PENTHOUSE – Steve Johnson, who won the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals back in March, made a strong Saturday run following a less-than-spectacular Friday. Johnson’s 7.235 was the quickest pass of the Q3 session and the improvement launched him as high as fifth in the qualifying list. Johnson, who is battling for a spot in the Countdown, gained two bonus points on Saturday.

MUCH BETTER – Matt Smith Racing only had half of their bikes in Friday’s provisional field, when the team owner Smith ran a 7.263 to finish the day as the seventh quickest. Scotty Pollacheck was eleventh.

Unfortunately for the multi-bike team, Scott Hall’s bike necessitated an engine change, and Angie Smith failed to make the final Friday session when the transmission on her bike locked up in the water box.

There were no issues on Saturday as Hall made his way to the finish line with a 7.364, while Angie got in with a 7.374.

Smith improved to a 7.250 in the Q-3 session but fell to the No. 8 spot. He returned in the final session with his best run of the weekend, a 7.247, to climb into the seventh spot.

DAD IMPROVES – Hector Arana stepped up in the Q-3 session with a 7.251 and briefly earned a spot in the top half of the field before being knocked down to ninth.

BEST FOR LAST – Star Racing rider Chaz Kennedy made his best run of the weekend in the Q-4 session with a 7.266.

DELIVERS – Charles Sullivan, riding the bike normally straddled by his daughter Katie, clocked a 7.419 to slip into the No. 16 spot.

MISSING THE CUT – Fred Camarena and James Surber missed making the Mile-High field.

 

SPORTSMAN

NOT GOOD AT ALL - Jeff Heffler won the battle but lost the war during the first round of Top Sportsman eliminator.

Heffler beat Wade Kieffer, who broke prior to the race. During the run, Hefler lost control at about 1000 feet after his engine blew. His car then made a hard right turn where it hit the right lane wall before the finish line. The out of control car then went the other direction and hit the left lane wall in the shutdown area.

Kifer exited the car under his own power, was checked out by medical personnel and released.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK: THUNDER ON THE MOUNTAIN DURING THE FIRST DAY

TOP FUEL

ARMY OF NO. 1 - Tony Schumacher is an NHRA living legend.

He has seven Top Fuel world championships, but he has never been the No. 1 qualifier at the Mile-High Nationals in Denver.

Schumacher is trying to change that this weekend.

Schumacher grabbed the provisional pole position at 3.823 seconds at 314.09 mph Friday.

“It is great here,” Schumacher said. “I was hired back here in 1996 and this was the first place I ever sat in a Top Fuel car. I got my license here and then we left for the Big Go. I’ve won here a few times and been in the finals and performed well, but I just haven’t qualified No. 1. You really have to find your niche here. You don’t bring your normal every other race combination, you bring something different up here for the mountain.”

FOLLOWING SCHUMACHER - Steve Torrence’s Capco Contractors dragster is in the second spot with a 3.831 at 322.96 while Larry Dixon is third with a 3.848 at 315.64 in his Casedhole Solutions dragster.

CLINCHED - Point leader Doug Kalitta and Antron Brown clinched berths in the Countdown Friday.

WELL, HE IS THE FATHER - Tom Hoover, widely regarded as the “Father of the 426 HEMI” is this weekend's Grand Marshal at the Mopar flagship event.

Hoover spearheaded a performance revolution during his decades of service with Chrysler Corporation, playing an instrumental role in the creation of early racing programs, iconic engines and products that still fuel the Mopar and Dodge brands to this day.

In addition to his work on the 426 HEMI “elephant” engine — so nicknamed for its size, strength and power — Hoover also was instrumental in the development of early Funny Cars, small block engine NHRA Pro Stock cars and a long list of additional performance parts. Hoover was also a founding member of the Ramchargers race team, the legendary group of drag racers/Chrysler Corporation employees whose passion for quarter-mile competition helped launch the company’s motorsports program during the dawn of the performance era.

 “We’re proud of the success the legendary HEMI engine continues to have on race tracks as that is what persistently reinforces the quality of the Mopar brand, not just making it synonymous with the sought after muscle car but also with quality service and parts,” said Petro Gorlier,  President and CEO of Mopar. “We are especially proud to invite the father of the HEMI, Tom Hoover, to join us in that celebration as Grand Marshall of the Mopar Mile-High Nationals.”

YOU WANNA SWEEP? BETTER WIN DENVER - Antron Brown has swept the Western Swing before. He'd like to do it again but to do so, Brown will have to start with winning the toughest draw of the three race tour.

"To win one race is hard enough, but then to win two of them is really hard," explained Brown. "We came real close at doubling up I think it was in 2012. We won two of those races out there and then we lost in the semifinals of the last race. Everybody was like, you can do it again, and you try not to talk about it because to win one round of NHRA racing right now is crazy hard."

"Oh, it'd be huge. You'll be the first in history to do it, you know what I mean, and we came so close to doing it before. We go into the Western Swing and we can think about that, but when we go into the first race in Denver, you erase all that from your mind because you don't let your emotions get the best of you to try to actually get that done, you know what I mean? Because there's so much that you have to have go your way to get that done, if you're focused on that, you're not focused on the thing that you need to get done."

A GOOD PROBLEM - Having too much horsepower can sometimes be as challenging as not enough. Steve Torrence is in the boat, or in his case, dragster of abundance.

“We’ve been working on trying to calm this thing down on race day,” explained Torrence.  “We know we’ve got a bad fast hot rod but in the heat of the day it just doesn’t want to go down the racetrack,” admitted the graduate of Kilgore College.  “It just hasn’t responded well to going slower.  It’s just wanted to go faster and faster and faster.  We’ve been trying to fix that, so we’ll see.”
 
Torrence got off to a strong start in 2014, the best of his pro career to this point, reaching the semifinal round six times before hitting a rough patch of five first-round losses in the last six races.

UP ON KALITTA MOUNTAIN - The Kalitta posse know how to make out like bandits up on the mountain. Point leader Doug Kalitta has won the Mopar Mile-High Nationals once [2010] and has been runner-up four times, dating back to 1999.

The success on the mountain began with team owner Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta, who won twice in Denver as a driver (1985 and 1984).

The late Scott Kalitta, a two-time NHRA Top Fuel World Champion, won three times in Denver (2004, 1995 and 1994).

THERE YOU GO - There's nothing like getting thrown into the fire, and for Jenna Haddock, her first run, a 5.322 elapsed time, marked her first time in competition, ever.

The run was a planned shut-off and one which inspired 16-time NHRA series champion John Force, who had just ran the No. 1 qualifying position in Funny Car. "That's me 100 years ago," Force said. "I love watching these kids. They love it like we love it."

"He's been my idol forever," said Haddock. "Anything good from him is awesome."

Haddock envisioned her first run many times in her mind before the actual opportunity presented itself. "I've tried to stay focused and do my thing," admitted Haddock. "I think I did pretty good. We wanted to come out here and do a great job for our sponsors Patriot Grading and Clevite, they make it to where we can come out here. I wanted to make my team and my husband proud because he makes me proud every day."

MISSING THE CUT - Clay Millican, Richie Crampton, Jenna Haddock and Steve Chrisman will head into the final day of qualifying without a run to their credit.

FUNNY CAR


KING OF THE MOUNTAIN - John Force went to the top of the field with a 4.049 second run at 318.89 mph to reset both ends of the track record.

“I ran 300 mph here years ago in a Funny Car and I even out-ran the dragsters," said Force. "However, Bandimere put in a cooling system in the track surface and he extended over 200 feet and it gave us confidence and we took advantage of that. My car will run fast at the other end but it’s getting it to leave early without smoking the tires is the key. It wasn’t that hot today but everyone was programed on how to run. Robert and me were at the end of that final session and we stepped up and went for it."

Force ran 270 mph to the eighth-mile mark on the No. 1 qualifying run.

“You look out and see a packed house and I want to win without a doubt," said Force. "But I love racing, and coming to Bandimere is awesome, the fans are great, the track is great and this is what motivates me. It’s all I’ve got and I love it.

“The conditions today were good and we just set up the car like we did last year. We also felt we could improve a little bit today based on the data from last year and it was a good start for us. On that second session, we stepped it to see how far we could push it and that 4.04 is just what we thought it would run,” said Crew Chief Jimmy Prock.

Force is looking to set another record if he can claim his eighth win at the Mile-High NHRA Nationals and rack up his 141st career victory.

NOT BAD AT ALL - Robert Hight raced to the second quickest time of first day qualifying despite racing a new chassis. He posted a 4.078 second pass, just one thousandth of a second off of Force’s pace. It was a strong start for the Auto Club team and set them up to make strong runs in the final session on Friday.

“That was a great way to start the race. You want to get off on the right foot and we definitely did that today. Neff has a really good handle on this Auto Club Mustang so starting out with a 4.07 was right where we wanted to be,” said Hight, a four-time winner in 2014.

In the second session, Hight and Force were once again the last pair of Funny Cars. The conditions could not have been better for the Auto Club Mustang team. Hight and Force blasted off the starting line and 1,000 feet later the scoreboard lit up with 4.055 seconds and once again the second quickest run of the session. Hight picked up four qualifying bonus points but more importantly his team once again made two solid runs on the first day of the race.

“There was a packed house here tonight and we wanted to put on a show," Hight said. "I know Jimmy and Mike talked before that run. They were able to watch all the Funny Cars run and they both knew they could step it up. When you make a side by side run like that there is nothing better. We weren’t as quick as John but we were right there with him. I think heading into tomorrow we’ll be the last pair again and hopefully we’ll keep getting those bonus points.”

BETCHA DIDN'T KNOW - Tommy Johnson Jr. reached his NHRA final round back in 1984 while racing a Super Gas Buick Somerset Regal. Guess who beat him? Johnson finished runner-up to Chad Langdon – father to reigning Top Fuel world champion Shawn Langdon.

Three years later Johnson finished runner-up again, this time to Pat Austin.

Oddly enough, Johnson won his first Top Fuel race in Bandimere by beating Joe Amato in 1991.
 
LEARNING TO DRIVE DIFFERENTLY - The uniqueness of a nitro tune-up is a large topic when the NHRA tour rolls into Bandimere. Just ask Ron Capps about the driving aspect, and he will tell you driving requires a different approach.

Racing at Bandimere isn't business as usual.

"The very first run and really the first day you do big time," answered Capps about changing his driving routine. "And I think that's where it benefits me. (Team owner) Don Schumacher lets me go race these Nostalgia Series cars a lot, which I love to do; it's a great passion. Now we have more drivers with Del Worsham and Cruz (Pedregon) and all these guys building them, and I think that's where it helps us. You jump in a car that doesn't sound the same as you're normally used to, and you can ask any driver, after the first run you make, it sounds like the car is going to blow up at 40 feet out. It sounds like crap."

Basically, at the Mile-High Nationals, a driver can take his experience and throw it out the window.

"They [engines] just don't sound normal like they do," said Capps. "They just don't have the oxygen. So as a driver, you've always been trained to save the parts, save any damage you can by lifting when the car doesn't sound good. Well, up there on the mountain, every run sounds like that. Sometimes I laugh on the radio to the crew guys or the crew chief as I'm rolling up to stage. I'm like, this thing sounds like crap, and then it goes out and sets low ET.

"As a driver, it just takes longer and it doesn't sound as good, and even though you've got a hill, you've got to remember that when you pull the chutes, it doesn't have air to grab to slow you down, so you'll find all these guys that don't run a lot or forget about it will be off into the sand trap because they think being uphill and going slower would allow you to slow down better with those chutes. But you've got to remember there's no air to grab, so you always have guys that don't get the chutes out on time, and that's huge up there. You don't want to put your car in the sand."
 
Never mind the weird sounding engine, a driver must learn to drive with less downforce than normal.

"The car has lack of downforce, and if you let it get out even a little bit, those crew chiefs have to have them so nice and tuned up perfectly up there that if you get out and it does anything funny and spins a little bit, then you've kind of ruined the run. Yeah, it's more important up there.

Capps was third quickest after the first session with a 4.141, 306.67. He stepped up with a 4.08 to end the day as the fifth quickest.

REAL POWER TOOLS - Cruz Pedregon thundered to the fourth quickest lap of qualifying with his El Guapo-themed, Snap-on Tools Funny Car, carding a 4.078 elapsed time.

PARADE OF THE ELEPHANT - Matt Hagan, flying the colors of the HEMI 426 50th Anniversary Tribute Funny Car, sits eighth after two sessions with a 4.111, 300.73 best.

HANG 12 DUDE - Thanks to a 4.263 elapsed time in the Friday evening session, the nitro surfer Jeff Diehl earned a place momentarily in Friday's Top 12. He is assisted for the second consecutive race by Rob Wendland, who most recently tuned Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Make-A-Wish Funny Car.

Diehl was bumped out three cars later, but he was still impressed with the clean and straight run.

"When that thing left, it kind of quivered, and I didn't think it was going to make it," said Diehl. "I just tried to look through it, and past it and it kept going. Wow, what a ride. It's the best one I've ever had on the mountain."

Wendland has made a difference, just ask Diehl.

"I have a half-hearted know-how of what goes on," admitted Diehl. "But he knows what goes on. I get in there and battle with him, but he gets it done. He's been unbelievable."

GO FOR IT - Sometimes you have to swing for the fence, and during the Friday evening session Tim Wilkerson did. After running what he considered "an okay pass" in Q1, a 4.203 elapsed time, he had some confidence and he'd made one promise to himself. If it smoked the tires, so be it. He was not going to go down without a fight.

Wilkerson blasted his was to a 4.071 to briefly hold the track record and end Friday as No. 3.

"I'm just real proud of my guys, and I know I say that a lot but it's true," Wilkerson said. "You know, things got a little off the rails at the last couple of races and when we had the week off I spent some of it digging back through all of our Denver records, because we used to run pretty good here and lately we haven't. I spotted a couple of things staring back at me, and we made a few changes I thought might help us. It all worked out pretty good, so I'm all right with that.

"When we ran, I might've bet you that it would end up fourth or fifth, just because of the cars that were behind us in line. Once it got down to the last pair, we were all listening but I just couldn't imagine [John] Force [and Robert Hight] not running quicker than us. Turned out they both did, but like I said I'm okay with that. And the media got to interview Force for being number one overnight, so there's that. He's a lot more entertaining than me. He's a lot more entertaining than just about anybody.

"Tomorrow the schedule is a little earlier, but we run after the dragsters so we may end up in a pretty similar environment, except the forecast has it getting up over 90 tomorrow and today was about as nice as Thunder Mountain can be. If it's that hot, there's a chance that holds for the three spot. We'll just have to see."

IT'S A MASTERPIECE - Carson McGee will never get mistaken for Picasso. But for the 11-year-old with type 1 diabetes (T1D) he designed a masterpiece which sends a stronger message than any Picasso painting ever did.

Magee, the fifth grader from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, who was diagnosed with T1D four years ago at age 7, was part of the unveiling of a new paint scheme on Bob Tasca III's Ford Mustang Funny Car. He captured the top prize in the “Our Everyday Heroes” Race Car Design Contest for JDRF, hosted by Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD) and its brands, Motorcraft and Quick Lane Tire and Auto Centers.

Carson’s winning design, which pays homage to firefighters, emergency medical technicians, police and each of the U.S. armed services, was selected from 10 finalists by FCSD, JDRF and Tasca. “The car looks great!” said

Tasca, who has been a key part of this contest since its inception in 2008. “For me, it’s always been about kids. There’s nothing more satisfying to me than to help children who have needs. This program has been able to raise funds, but even more than that it has raised awareness of juvenile diabetes.”

 

OUTSIDE THE TWELVE - Jeff Diehl, Todd Simpson and Tony Pedregon failed to crack the provisional field.

PRO STOCK

IT'S WORKED BEFORE - The last time Allen Johnson failed to test before the Mopar Mile-High Nationals, he won the series championship. Johnson hopes to repeat history and showed no ill-effects Friday evening by jumping to the top early with a 6.928 elapsed time.

"We left a little down low," said Johnson. "We have to do this up here for Mopar. We are so fortunate to do this year after year. Those guys behind us have tightened up."

WISE INVESTMENT - V. Gaines bought 800 tickets for his family, friends and customers, and to get the most of his investment, he jumped to the top of the qualifying list early with a 6.944.

CLINCHED - Point leader Erica Enders-Stevens became the first Pro Stock racer to clinch a Countdown berth.

HE'S THE KING, SHE'S THE QUEEN - Allen Johnson has reached the finals of the Denver event for the last seven years, winning five times. But for now, Erica Enders-Stevens is the queen of Pro Stock and reigning point leader.

"I'm going to do everything I can to stop him," Enders-Stevens said.
"They've been the king of the mountain for a lot of years, and the Mopars always run really well at altitude, Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) and V. Gaines included. But our job is to do our best every weekend and make a run for the trophy. That plan won't change for this weekend."

Enders-Stevens leads the Pro Stock standings by 241 points over Johnson and is coming off her class-leading fourth victory of the season in Norwalk, Ohio, on July 6.

Enders-Stevens jumped to the top of qualifying with a 6.952, 198.55 during the first session. She improved to a 6.934 but fell to third.

WALKING FOR A CAUSE - Enders-Stevens will also participate in the Go Red For Women Track Walk at 10 a.m. local time on Saturday morning in support of the American Heart Association.

"It raises awareness for heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women," Enders-Stevens said. "Everybody is invited and be sure to wear red!"

MORGAN DRUMS UP SECOND CAR FOR TOMMY LEE - Former IHRA mountain motor Pro Stock racer Tommy Lee, who was recently released as a crew member for the Jonathan Gray Pro Stock team,  is racing a second Mustang for the Lucas Oil-sponsored Larry Morgan.

"We're just trying to learn something and trying to use what resources we have," Morgan said. "If we can get some good information, it will help. We're trying to figure out what direction to go with the engines, because we're still recovering from our engine issues earlier in the year.

"We're trying different engine combinations, and Tommy's running a little different one than we are. Hopefully we can learn a direction to go and move forward."

Lee, who has plied his trade as a crewman and a test driver, made his first run since December testing in Bradenton, Fla.

"It's a big change, especially on the mountain; everything comes so fast up here," said Lee. "It's going to take me a few runs to get used to the car."

Lee didn't need much fine-tuning as he nailed a .018 reaction in the final qualifying session.

THE COST OF MILE-HIGH - The combinations used at Bandimere are usually one-race applicable.

"I love the facility and I love the Bandimere family, but it's so different there," Morgan said. "I've got to spend $7,500 on a rear end just for there. That's tough but it is what it is. Going to Denver is just a nightmare for us."

Then there's the uniqueness of the engines.

"It's one-of-a-kind," Morgan said. "Nothing you do there translates to anywhere else, not one bit. You can't learn one thing when you go there. You have to drive differently, too. You have to be mad at it."

MISSING IN ACTION - Chris McGaha will be leaning on his Mike Edwards' playbook more than ever this weekend. A few races after releasing Jim Yates, the team is racing without Allen Lindsey, the longtime Mike Edwards crew chief who went to work after the team switched hands. Lindsey is tending to his mother who is ailing at this time.

IT ALL STARTED HERE - Racing in Denver is always special for Shane Gray, as he made his NHRA national event debut in Super Comp at the event in 1989.
          
"I can still remember what that felt like," said Gray. "I was scared to death, but it started something. Look where we are now – this is my fifth year racing Pro Stock, and we're building quite a team. Racing in Denver is always special for us, and last year we did pretty darn good up there on the mountain. Hopefully, this year we can do a little bit better."
          
Last year in Denver, Gray qualified in the No. 3 position and finished as a semifinalist. A year earlier he also reached the semis, which was his rookie season.

CHANGES IN CONNOLLY CAMP - Dave Connolly crew chief Tommy Utt was released from the team in the days leading into the Mile-High Nationals. This weekend, Connolly and Justin Elkes are making the tuning calls.

WHO WOULD HAVE THUNK IT? - Greg Anderson missed the first six races of the season recovering from heart surgery. He returned to competition in Houston, and has pulled to within four rounds of tenth place in the Countdown.

Anderson, though facing a mountain of adversity, was expected to quickly overcome a 258 point deficit, the equivalent of 13 rounds of competition. What wasn't expected was the emergence of Rookie of the Year contender Jonathan Gray, who finished runner-up and jumped into the tenth spot.

Anderson trails Gray by 45 points with five regular season races remaining. He's a whopping 129 points behind V. Gaines, which largely leaves his best chance of a Countdown berth to gain the tenth position.

To pull this off, Anderson would need to rekindle the same magic which propelled him to a Western Swing sweep.

"The biggest thing right now for me and a huge thing for me personally and this team would be for me to win a race, and obviously I can't sweep the Western Swing unless I can win all three of them, so I'm going to have to win Denver to even have a chance at that," Anderson said. "Right now for me to win a race, it would be huge. It's been two years since I won a race, and I know exactly in my heart it's going to take race wins to make this Countdown."

A YEAR LATER - Matt Hartford, who gained the wrong kind of publicity last season in Denver for crashing, is running Allen Johnson horsepower this weekend in his Total Seal Dodge Avenger.

MISSING THE FIRST DAY - Jeg Coughlin, Jonathan Gray, Tommy Lee and Steve Kalkowski will enter Saturday's third session without a run to their credit.

Larry Morgan was the on provisional bump with a 7.019.
 

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

PLEASANT SURPRISE - Hector Arana Jr. was surprised at how fast he ran during the first day qualifying, but he'll certainly take it.

Arana was quickest in both qualifying sessions, making a track-record pass of 7.178 seconds at 185.97 mph in the first session to go to the top of the chart.

 "Honestly I didn't expect this today," Arana said. "The motor is different but we put in the same tune-up from last year. The motor is running really strong, so the combination came together and we have a great setup for this mountain. All I can say is that I did not expect this."

If Arana can hold on to the No. 1, he would extend the Arana family's pole-winning streak at Bandimere; father Hector Sr. was No. 1 in 2011, Arana in 2012, and brother Adam last year.

TRACK RECORD FALLS, TWICE - Michael Ray hit the Bandimere combination right out of the box by lowering the track record to a 7.234 elapsed time.

The mark held for three pairs of bikes, with Hector Arana Jr., ripping the mark away with a 7.178.

"I really like Denver's track," Arana said. "We always seem to do consistently well there. We have a good setup figured out for that track, which definitely helps. It gives us a good starting point for when we go out for Q1 and Q2. We are able to go into those sessions with an idea in mind of what we need to do to continue to be successful there."

Arana is no stranger to high performance in Denver after scoring a semifinal appearance in 2012 and a runner-up to Shawn Gann in 2013.

MEMORIES - Andrew Hines participated in his first professional race here in 2002. While racing at the place where his career began is special, it's more than just a sentimental stop for the local racer from nearby Littleton.
 
Hines has posted two wins and four final round appearances at Bandimere Speedway.

“I have a lot of great memories there and being able to go back to this track is always fun,” Hines said. “We’ve got a pretty good grip on what you need to run well on the mountain. We have good knowledge to draw from and hopefully that will help us. You have to change so much on the bike but we know what it takes to succeed here.”

Teammate Eddie Krawiec also has two victories at Bandimere Speedway.

Hines has maintained the points lead since the second race of the season and Krawiec is currently in second. But Hines feels as though he has unfinished business in Denver after a disappointing outing in 2013.

 “It’s not a typical weekend and you have to put in a big effort to do well,” Hines said. “We want to get up there, get rolling and get that Wally up at Bandimere Speedway. We struggled all season a year ago and Denver was no different. We’ve been on a good roll and we want to keep that going.”

CLINCHED - Andrew Hines clinched a berth in the playoffs, the first Pro Stock Bike racer to do so.

DAUGHTER, CAN I BORROW THE BIKE? - Charles Sullivan, father of Pro Stock Bike racer Katie Sullivan, is borrowing her bike to race this weekend. Unfortunately for him, he missed Friday's top twelve cut with a 7.534.

WITHDRAWN - Jerry Savoie withdrew from competition after arriving at the track. A severe storm close to his alligator farm in Lousiana required him to return home.

ON THE OUTSIDE - John Hall, Angie Smith, Freddie Camerena, James Surber, Charles Sullivan and Steve Johnson missed the Friday evening top twelve cut.

Smith, who won Epping, failed to make a run in the final session when her bike had mechanical issues in the burnout box.