NHRA SCHUCK'S NATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
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SUNDAY FINAL - SCHUMACHER, BECKMAN AND CONNOLLY WIN RAIN-PLAGUED SCHUCK'S AUTO SUPPLY NATIONALS
Capps, Fuller and Connolly clinch berths in the Countdown playoffs
Four-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher defeated Brandon Bernstein on a holeshot by just .004-second to claim the Top Fuel title on a rain-plagued Sunday at the 20th annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals.
"Fast Jack" Beckman made it two wins in a row in Funny Car when he defeated John Force in a final round that concluded with Force's Castrol GTX Ford in flames but, other than some singed paint, he was okay.
Connolly climbed back into the winner's circle and ended Allen Johnson's bid for not just a second straight win on the Western Swing but also his second straight in Seattle with the quickest pass of the weekend.
The 14th race of the 23-race season -- and 17-race regular season -- saw three more drivers clinch berths in the Countdown playoffs: Rod Fuller in Top Fuel, Ron Capps in Funny Car and Connolly in Pro Stock. There are three races left in the regular season: the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals at Sonoma, Calif. (July 27-29), the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd, Minn. (Aug. 9-12) and the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Reading, Pa. (Aug. 16-19).
Four-time and reigning Top Fuel champion Schumacher rode a great car to the final and then let his driving do the talking, recording a giant holeshot victory over a much quicker Brandon Bernstein to win his third race of the year. Schumacher blazed from the gates with a .047-second reaction time in his U.S. Army dragster to Bernstein's .100 start in his Budweiser dragster. Schumacher then held on to win by less than two feet, crossing with a 4.607 at 307.79 mph to Bernstein's 4.558 at 328.86 mph.
"Now that was exciting," Schumacher said. "The car was running so good all day but something went wrong down at the other end and she was hurtin'. I would guess it was mixing up the cylinders pretty good. I couldn't wait for the finish line to get there.
Schumacher moved past J.R. Todd and into fourth place in the POWERade Series point standings and he is all but assured of a berth in the Countdown playoffs.
"This Countdown deal...it's as if the NHRA made it with us in mind. This team always comes alive in the second half of the season and I look down the schedule and see a bunch of tracks where we've always done well in the past. Anything can happen at the end, and it would suck to lose because a stupid part breaks, but the format of this deal is perfect for us."
Fuller is the first Top Fuel pro to earn a spot in the eight-car Countdown playoffs. He currently leads the POWERade standings by 134 points while Bernstein moved back around Larry Dixon for second place.
Drag racing instructor Beckman won his second Funny Car race in a row and the third of his career in grand fashion; removing 14-time champion Force from the equation with a 4.829 at 320.97 mph. Force's Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang encountered engine trouble in the final and ended up engulfed in flames. He was uninjured.
Once everyone realized that Force was okay, the celebration ensued in the Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T lane.
"We waited 13 races to get back to the final and now we've made it two in a row," Beckman said. "I get the win and John blows up and gets all the TV. I stopped my car and ran over to help him, at least that's what it looked like, but I really wanted to get on TV. Seriously, beating
them was special and I'm glad he's okay."
Three races ago, Force was 15th in the points with just two elimination round wins on his ledger. A win (at Bristol), a semifinal (at Denver) and a runner-up Sunday (at Seattle) later and he's pushed his way into the Countdown to the Championship field, passing Cruz Pedregon whom he now leads by 44 points.
Force's daughter Ashley Force got into a pedaling contest with Kenny Bernstein in the quarterfinals and her Castrol GTX/AAA Ford Mustang veered into the left side retaining wall. She climbed from the car under her own power and was checked and released by track medical personnel.
"I was steering it a little too much and I got in trouble," said Ashley Force, who is 60 points back of her dad for the last playoff berth. "In testing you don't practice pedaling because you don't want to hurt the car or parts. You just work on going from A-to-B. But the best drivers
are the ones that can pedal, that's why my dad's won so many championships, and I don't have that experience yet."
Funny Car points leader Ron Capps lost to Ashley Force in the first round but he still clinched a berth in the Countdown playoffs, the first in his category to do so.
Johnson left first in his quest for back-to-back wins but Connolly had tracked him down by the 60-foot timer and went on to win with a track record 6.649-second pass at 206.20 mph over Johnson's 6.682 at 206.23 mph.
"We needed every bit of that run because I missed the Tree a little there," Connolly said. "The car saved me that time. What a perfect time for [crew chief] Tommy Utt to put that tune-up in there. It was a long day but definitely worth the wait."
The top two qualifiers at the event, Johnson and Connolly were quick all day. Johnson's J&J Racing Dodge Stratus posted two 6.67s and a 6.66 in carrying him to his 12th career final. Connolly's Torco Chevy Cobalt posted a 6.69, a 6.66, and a 6.67 en route to his 24th final.
Currently third in the POWERade Pro Stock points, Connolly joined Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin in the Countdown playoffs, leaving just five spots open in Pro Stock.
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Sunday's final results from the 20th annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways. The race is the 14th of 23 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Tony Schumacher, 4.607 seconds, 307.79 mph def. Brandon Bernstein, 4.558 seconds, 328.86 mph.
Funny Car -- Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.829, 320.97 def. John Force, Ford Mustang, 5.235, 203.03.
Pro Stock -- Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.649, 206.20 def. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.682, 206.23.
Top Alcohol Dragster - Thomas Bayer
Top Alcohol Funny Car - Clint Thompson
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING -RAIN-SOAKED QUALIFYING COMPLETE AT SCHUCK'S AUTO SUPPLY NHRA NATIONALS
Top qualifiers at Pacific Raceways are JR Todd, Robert Hight and Dave Connolly
Due to persistent rain in the Seattle area, NHRA officials were forced to set the elimination fields for the 20th annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals Saturday evening after just one round of professional qualifying was completed.
Drivers in the POWERade top 10 who were not qualified after the lone round were placed in the bottom of the 16-car grids per rule. David Grubnic replaced Morgan Lucas in Top Fuel, while Jim Head, Cruz Pedregon, and Gary Scelzi will take the spots of Gary Densham, Tim Wilkerson, and Jerry Toliver.
J.R. Todd's Skull Shine dragster team ran the only 4.5-second pass of the day at Pacific Raceways, so his 4.577 at 318.39 mph was enough for his first career low qualifier award. John Force Racing pro Robert Hight broke in a brand-new Ford Mustang with a 4.800 at 300.53 mph for his sixth pole of the year for the Auto Club team. In Pro Stock, Dave Connolly took another step toward securing a berth in the Countdown playoffs by placing his Torco Racing Chevy Cobalt on top with a 6.664 at 206.42 mph.
Todd went to the starting line expecting a wild ride down the freshly-scrubbed racetrack. Instead, his Kevin Poynter-tuned hot rod went straight down the groove in 4.577 seconds at 318.39 mph. The reigning Rookie of the Year is just 33 races into his career but he already has five wins, two runner-up finishes, and one low qualifier honor.
"It kind of stinks that we only got one run but it's my first No. 1 so I guess I'll take it any way I can," Todd said. "We're all in the same boat heading into race day. No one really knows what to expect. The rain washes away the rubber and Top Fuel's going to be first out there so it'll be crazy. At least we get to pick what pair we're going to go so I'm sure we'll be back in the back."
Grubnic gets in on the bump, replacing hard-luck pro Morgan Lucas.
Hight was pleased with his first ride in his new Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang, which was put into service for the first time Saturday. The car looked strong in its debut, carrying the No. 2 man in the POWERade points to his sixth low qualifier of the year.
"We were a little nervous coming in with a brand-new car," Hight said. "We knew this morning that the most we could hope for was having two runs and with a new car you get anxious because you expect there to be bugs. But this thing drove just like the old car we had, the one I crashed in Topeka.
"One run definitely wasn't enough, especially with a new car. I think we could have gone much quicker. If we had another session probably a lot of cars would have gone quicker than a 4.80, our team included. It's really hard to guess what's going to happen tomorrow. We get Scelzi now in Round 1 and we know they're capable of big numbers. It'll be exciting."
Kenny Bernstein is second on the grid in his Monster Energy Drink Dodge Charger R/T after a 4.854 at 307.44 mph, the best effort for the "King of Speed" since his return to Funny Car. He will meet Cruz Pedregon, who is holding onto the eighth and final playoff berth in Funny Car, in one of the marquee first-round matchups Sunday. No. 10 in points Tommy Johnson Jr. vs. No. 13 in points Del Worsham will be a near elimination match with the loser's chances of making the playoffs diminishing significantly.
Ashley and John Force both earned bottom-half berths. Ashley is 10th in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang and she draws points leader Ron Capps in Sunday's first round as she looks to reverse a recent trend that has seen her drop from seventh to 11th in points. John was on the bump but he moved up to 13th so officials could insert the three top-10 runners who were outside the field and he will look to continue his resurgence against Tony Bartone. He's entered this race ninth in the points, 16 behind Cruz Pedregon.
Currently third in the Pro Stock points, Connolly is next in line to earn one of the eight spots in the Countdown playoffs as teammate and No. 2 Jeg Coughlin and points leader Greg Anderson have already clinched their playoff berths. His first low qualifier of the year will help his Torco/Seeyle Wright Chevrolet Cobalt team move closer to earning a slot.
Allen Johnson, who shared the winner's circle in Denver with Beckman and Fuller one week ago, is second with a 6.671 at 206.95 mph in his J&J Racing Dodge Stratus.
Points leader Greg Anderson is fifth overall in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO after a 6.688 at 207.18 mph.
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First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 20th annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the 14th of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.
Top Fuel -- 1. J.R. Todd, 4.577 seconds, 318.39 mph vs. 16. David Grubnic, 10.268, 82.03; 2. Larry Dixon, 4.601, 316.08 vs. 15. Hillary Will, 7.260, 109.14; 3. Clay Millican, 4.604, 313.22 vs. 14. Rod Fuller, 6.153, 283.07; 4. Whit Bazemore, 4.628, 319.14 vs. 13. Steven Chrisman, 5.174, 282.30; 5. Tony Schumacher, 4.633, 306.12 vs. 12. Alan Bradshaw, 5.020, 284.69; 6. Doug Herbert, 4.639, 313.07 vs. 11. Cory McClenathan, 4.729, 291.38; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 4.662, 311.20 vs. 10. Doug Kalitta, 4.690, 272.17; 8. Bob Vandergriff, 4.680, 307.51 vs. 9. Melanie Troxel, 4.683, 317.42.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.800, 300.53 vs. 16. Gary Scelzi, Dodge Charger, 11.509, 77.01; 2. Kenny Bernstein, Charger, 4.854, 307.44 vs. 15. Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 8.026, 109.83; 3. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.866, 305.56 vs. 14. Jim Head, Toyota Solara, 6.350, 148.99; 4. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.868, 298.60 vs. 13. John Force, Mustang, 6.038, 156.95; 5. Scott Kalitta, Solara, 4.877, 311.49 vs. 12. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 5.533, 189.42; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Impala, 4.887, 287.90 vs. 11. Del Worsham, Impala, 4.936, 302.21; 7. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.888, 313.66 vs. 10. Ashley Force, Mustang, 4.923, 286.13; 8. Jeff Arend, Impala, 4.894, 307.51 vs. 9. Mike Ashley, Charger, 4.905, 310.27.
Pro Stock -- 1. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.664, 206.42 vs. 16. Erica Enders, Dodge Stratus, 6.733, 205.57; 2. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.671, 206.95 vs. 15. Justin Humphreys, Pontiac GTO, 6.724, 205.26; 3. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.677, 207.02 vs. 14. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.718, 204.85; 4. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.682, 206.13 vs. 13. Bob Panella, Stratus, 6.704, 205.07; 5. Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.688, 207.18 vs. 12. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.704, 206.29; 6. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.688, 205.94 vs. 11. Jason Line, GTO, 6.704, 206.76; 7. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.689, 206.26 vs. 10. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.694, 206.01; 8. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.690, 206.01 vs. 9. Max Naylor, Stratus, 6.691, 204.60.
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FRIDAY - QUALIFYING WASHED OUT
TELEVISION: Saturday, July 21, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 11:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 22, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 22, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute pre-race show at 11 a.m.
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THURSDAY - SEATTLE RACE A TUNE-UP FOR BIGGER CHAMPIONSHIP FOR AT LEAST THREE DRIVERS
While it seemed a foregone conclusion that Greg Anderson, Jeg Coughlin, and Matt Smith would ultimately be in the Countdown to Four, the NHRA POWERade Series playoffs, it is now a mathematical certainty.
They are sure to be joined by a handful of other drivers,
including Top Fuel points leader Rod Fuller and Funny Car points leader
Ron Capps, after this weekend's Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals at
Pacific Raceways in
As determined by a complex formula, those three racers have mathematically clinched their positions in the Countdown playoffs, and NHRA POWERade Series officials will announce subsequent drivers who clinch their positions in the playoffs immediately after each of the final four races of the 17-race regular season.
After this weekend's event in
The complete eight-driver fields for the Countdown playoffs
will be set Sunday, Aug. 19, immediately following the Toyo Tires NHRA
Nationals. The four-race Countdown playoff round will begin two weeks
later in
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WEDNESDAY -TEAM CSK HEADED TO SEATTLE LOADED FOR BEAR
The race will be a critical one for CSK teammates Del Worsham and Jeff Arend, whose race teams, much like a wild card contender in Major League Baseball or the NFL, have been given a second life by the Countdown.
A season that might otherwise be lost for the Checker Schuck's Kragen Funny Car teams is very much alive thanks to the NHRA POWERade Series' new Countdown to the Championship playoff system.
In a nutshell, the 23-race season is broken up into three tiers: a 17-race regular season that will reduce the field of championship contenders to eight, a four-race playoff that will reduce the field to four, and a two-race competition that will determine the 2007 POWERade world champions.
With 13 races complete, the POWERade Series heads to the Pacific Northwest this weekend for the 20th annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals at scenic Pacific Raceways near Seattle. The $1.5 million race, which will be televised in high definition on ESPN2, is the 14th of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Worsham's CSK red team is in 13th place and 456 points behind first-place Ron Capps but only 48 points behind eighth-place Cruz Pedregon and the final berth in the Countdown playoffs. Drivers earn 10 points for attempting to qualify, 20 points for qualifying and 1 to 8 points for qualifying position, and 20 points for each round-win on race day for a maximum of 118 points per event (not including the 20-point bonus available for setting a national record).
“The analogy to the postseason in other sports is perfect,” said Worsham, who has won 21 POWERade Series races, including one at Pacific Raceways (1999). “It's easy to get stressed out and start thinking in terms of total points, but the bottom line is no different than it's ever been. The only goal is to win rounds, period.
“We don't have to play over our heads or try to do stuff we're really not capable of; we just have to run like we can and like we should, and we'll reel in a spot [in the Countdown]."
Arend's CSK blue team is in 12th place and 446 points behind Capps but only 38 points behind Pedregon for the eighth and final berth in the Countdown playoffs. That's less than two rounds of racing.
“Growing up in Toronto as a Maple Leafs fan, I see the Countdown as being just like the NHL playoffs,” Arend said. “You get into the meat of the regular season and being first in your division or conference starts to mean less and less, but being in the top eight means everything. I'm not sure why people had reservations about the Countdown system because the Stanley Cup playoffs are the greatest postseason in all of sports, and nobody says it's unfair if the number-eight team gets on a roll and wins the Cup.
“If you're in the playoffs, you're worthy of hoisting the POWERade trophy, and we think we're due to start ripping off some round-wins."
Defending race winners at Pacific Raceways include Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Whit Bazemore (Funny Car), and Allen Johnson (Pro Stock).
After the Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals, just three races will remain in the Countdown regular season: the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals (July 27-29 in Sonoma, Calif.), the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals (Aug. 9-12 in Brainerd, Minn.), and the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals (Aug. 16-19 in Reading, Pa.).
Complicating matters for Worsham and Arend in their quest to get inside the top eight is the tight field that surrounds them. After the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, the top six drivers had all but assured themselves of positions in the Countdown playoffs, realistically leaving two spots up for grabs.
And challenging for those spots are eight drivers, including Worsham and Arend and the most prolific driver in NHRA history, John Force, as well as his wildly popular daughter, Ashley Force.
Only 138 points, or about six rounds of racing, separate seventh-place Jack Beckman, who has 647 points, from 13th-place Worsham. It's going to be a wild game of musical chairs as those eight drivers scratch and claw for every round-win to punch one of those final two tickets for the Countdown playoffs.
“We're all so tightly bunched now, it's going to be a real fight to the finish,” Arend said.
In Top Fuel, five spots are all but secured in the Countdown playoffs, leaving three still up for grabs, although Bob Vandergriff Jr.'s UPS team looks pretty secure with 648 points in sixth place.
In Pro Stock, three-time POWERade Series world champion Greg Anderson has led all year with an astonishing six wins in six final-round appearances.
